Rollercoaster
by bassguitarnictation
Summary: Life can be many things. fun. boring. Tough. easy. The only thing you can guarantee is that if you fall in love your in for one hell of a roller-coaster ride...


Hey, my names Dave. Dave Allen. I want to start this story by stating that I do not regret any of my actions within this story unless otherwise stated. Alright, now that is out of the way I can properly begin.

It was the 22nd of july, 2008. my 18th birthday in fact. I had just woken up at 10am and was staring tiredly into the mirror. I saw a fair bit of stubble on my chin, but decided not to shave as I thought it made me look rather more attractive than usual. I had short brown hair, blue eyes and red or dead glasses. On my wrist was a £30 watch from Argos where the digital readout for the hour was above that for minutes, and the one for seconds to the right of the hours readout. I thought it was quite stylish with its black strap and chrome edged face. I smiled at myself, having just brushed my teeth and ran my tongue across the upper front row. Satisfied there was no plaque I did a couple of poses, admiring myself. I wasn't much toned, just barely able to make out a six pack, but had a nice natural golden tan and was quite physically fit from hours spent at the gym. I went back to my room and put on a black button up t-shirt that was slightly too tight for me with a thin black tie, both from Burton, a blue pair of jeans (also from Burton) and some brown slip on shoes.

I went downstairs, stopping by a picture on the wall. In the frame was the image of my mum, dad, brother and 2 sisters. It was from the year before when we were all on holiday. I was taking the picture while my brother was running into the pool with the younger of my 2 sisters in his arms. He was laughing while she was between laughing and screaming, her long blonde hair flying everywhere. My other sister, a rather large girl with brown hair was walking in the background towards the camera standing next to my mum and dad. Mum was 50 at the time, with blonde/brown hair and also rather large, and my dad had a large beer gut with balding black hair with grey flecks and bushy eyebrows. Everyone was smiling or laughing.

I stared sadly for a few moments, wishing they could have been here. They had passed away in a car accident the winter before when a drunk driver crashed into the side of the car, forcing them into a wall. For some reason the airbags didn't deploy properly. The only good thing was they didn't suffer much. I felt a tear leak down my eye and sighed, brushing the picture with the tips of my finger and bowing my head in remembrance before going into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.

I had just cracked the eggs and whisked them when there was a knock on the door. I went and opened it to find my granddad and 2 nans standing there with bags in each of their hands. "Heya Davey!" My granddad greeted, giving me a firm hug as he hobbled in.

"Hey gang!" I replied, smiling and greeting him just as warmly. I moved to my nans, giving them each a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday son." One of my nans replied. It was my mums mum, Ellen. She was a tall thin woman with dyed blond hair and glasses. She was 76. My other nan, Lucy was the same age with a homely figure and dyed brown hair with no glasses and a round face. My granddad Chris (his real name was charles, but he never liked it, so we used his middle name) Was a portly man. He wasn't fat, just quite thick around the middle with a friendly face and a shock of grey hair.

"Thanks, nan." I told her with a smile.

"Its such a pity your mother and father aren't with us to celebrate." We all shared a sad look. "Anyway, presents!" Nanny Lucy exclaimed, holding out a bag. I chuckled and took it, leading them through to the kitchen and placing the bag on the side.

"First things first, drinks, anyone?"

"I'll have a coffee." My nanny Lucy and granddad Chris said simultaneously.

"Tea for me please, David." My nan Ellen told me. I nodded and put the kettle on, preparing 3 coffee's and a tea. I put an extra sugar in mine, making 3. I handed them over and finally got to my presents. In the bag from nanny Lucy I found a couple of squishy presents, which I opened to find some shirts and jeans I had picked out a few weeks earlier. I smiled, thanked her and hugged her. I then was given the bag by my granddad. Inside were some jumpers. I again thanked him with a hug and took the bag from my nanny Ellen. Inside this bag was a bunch of snowboarding gear and a ticket for a days snowboarding lessons at a place just outside the Trafford centre in Manchester. I hugged her tightly, choked up.

Before he died my brother had been an avid snowboarder and fisherman. Since I had often found it quite relaxing to go fish when things got too hectic, and would even sometimes take my guitar with me. I had his snowboard up in my room, but hadn't gotten around to using it. The ticket was for 2 weeks time. I smiled at them.

"Thank you all." I croaked before clearing my throat and swiping at my eyes. "Anyway, anyone want breakfast?"

"What are you having?" they asked me.

"Scrambled eggs, Bacon, black pudding and sausage." I replied.

"Go on then, son." My granddad replied with a grin. "Twisting my arm…" I laughed and my nans nodded that they wanted some as well. I got more eggs out of the fridge and put the sausages on to cook on the grill. As we waited for it to cook we talked about random things, with me occasionally turning to put on the bacon and black pudding and turn everything over, and then I was concentrating on cooking the eggs. When it was done everything was cooked to perfection and I put the four plates of food on the table along with some bread and butter.

There was little to no conversation as we ate, and I sat back when I finished with a satisfied grin on my face.

"You've definitely gotten better at cooking." My nanny ellen informed me. I shrugged.

"Cereals alright, but gets boring, and pop tarts are anything but healthy. Besides, I wanted to see what dad loved so much." I could talk about them most the time without feeling down. "I even think I can do his bolognaise just right." They smiled at me.

"Well, tell us when you do. It will be nice to have some again." I nodded. It was all of our favourite dish.

They stayed for about an hour before leaving, and I went in the front room and set up the X-box 360 with guitar hero world tour. I put the drums in the middle of the room and 2 guitars to one side. There was another knock on the door after the 2 minutes of getting everything set up and standing there were my best mates, Andy and Dave, Andy's girlfriend, Jess and her friend Caz, and another mate of ours called matt. It was only just getting to 12, and people weren't really expected around until 4 when the party was meant to start. I led them into the front room and they looked at the game wide eyed before Dave rushed for a guitar. I laughed.

"Calm down mates, we have plenty of time."

"I cant believe you actually got it!" Dave exclaimed.

"What can I say, im a rich teen and its fun as hell." After a few moments of admiration Dave put the guitar down and turned.

"Anyway, happy birthday mate." There was a mumble of consensus from the others and I thanked them.

"So Whatcha get?" Matt asked me.

"I was well happy, I got this from my nan." I showed them the snowboarding gear. It was blue pants and jacket with white and black highlights, along with a blue thermal jumper and some goggles with a blue tint and silver rim. They were a perfect match for my brothers old board. "It includes a days lesson!" I told them, proudly. "Any of you fancy joining me?" I asked. They all gave me bemused grins.

"Cant afford it mate, uni remember?" Andy told me. I frowned. I had forgotten if I was honest, but that's only because I was doing a third year in college.

"Well, I'll pay. I didn't get you guys any birthday presents last year anyway." Andy and Dave shook their heads.

"We couldn't. besides, we don't have the gear." I could see they were actually gutted as Dave told me that, and I shut off the TV.

"C'mon guys, we're heading to chesire oaks. But first…" I went to the computer and booked another 5 for the day lesson on the same day as me, getting Jess, matt and Caz a skiing one instead. I printed off the tickets and receipts before putting my credit card back in my wallet and heading out the house. I got into my car, a BMW x6. My parents had been in an X5 when they had the accident, having preferred the styling, but I had replaced it with this one. "Mind driving yourself Andy?" He shrugged. "Ill give you petrol money. I have to fill up anyway." I told him. He nodded, and him and Jess went to his Peugeot 106.

It was just under 20 minutes to Cheshire oaks and I easily found the store selling snowboarding equipment, telling them all to get some pants, jacket, goggles and jumper. The place was supposed to provide boards if needed. Jess and Caz spent ages before Jess bought a purple and white set and Caz chose a pink and black set. Andy had chosen a black and white set, Dave had a red and white set, and matt had chosen a green, white and black set similar to my own. It totalled at almost £700. I paid, ignoring their protests and loaded it all into the boot of my car before we drove home, having spent another 2 hours. I had 2 more to start preparing food for the party.

Time just flew by, with me going back and forth between the oven and the X-box where we were playing a career on Guitar hero. I was on expert on the drums while Dave and Andy did bass and guitar and Matt Jess and Caz were trying to sing. When the first guest arrived at four they were holding a couple of crates of Carling and a bottle of sambuca.

"Alright, mate." I greeted him. His name was Chris and he had been in my DT class during the past 2 years of college. I took the booze off him and put it on a rather large pile in the corner. "Nice to see you." He nodded and grinned.

"Alright booze bro. Still up for the Cali Friday?" he was talking about the hotel California.

"Yeah, sure. Should be fun." I told him, expecting my first club to be decent. "You still crashing tonight?"

"Yeah, if its alright?" I shrugged and grinned.

"Well, its my house, so no problem. Just remember, you break it you pay for it." He shook my hand.

"Deal!" we nodded and went into the front room. I left him playing guitar hero and kept cooking with a beer in my hand, starting off with a carling. I had some ribs starting to boil at the moment and more food ready to put on the barbeque. Over the next 3 hours more and more people arrived and music started blaring. I was laughing with 2 girls who had been in my performance studies class but were leaving this year for uni, a very attractive and slim auburn haired girl called Kelly, and a shorter, darker haired slim girl called Steph, who had a wonderful figure but average features.

I dragged myself away from them to tend to the barbecue and a couple of my mates walked up laughing. "Nice party so far, and it aint even dark!" one of them exclaimed.

"It an allen trait." I yelled over the music. "Our parties are always top-notch!" I continued. They slapped me on the back and walked off. I finished flipping the burgers and a couple of fish for some of the veggies in the crowd. My beer ran dry and I went to the pile that had finally stopped growing. There were about 5 crates of carling, 2 of stella, 1 of desperado, 3 of fosters and 4 of Carlsberg, along with 4 boxes of Smirnoff ice, 3 of Bacardi breezers, 4 of WKD, and then were the spirits which were on the shelf above. I grabbed a desperado and went back outside were Steph and Kelly were leaning on either side of the barbecue talking.

"So what were we talking about before?" Steph asked with a cute smile.

"you and Kelly were arguing which was better, Les mis or Wicked." I told her with a grin and she frowned and nodded.

"Wicked is so much better! I mean the music is amazing for one!" she sang a couple of lines and Kelly snorted.

"I'm sorry, but Les mis is much better! It's a classic, and never fails to capture your attention. It helps that it's a plausible story." I leaned flipped one of the burgers.

"What do you think, Dave?" Steph asked, folding her arms and mock glaring at Kelly. I laughed and held up my arms with the spatula held between my thumb and palm in my right hand.

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" I complained.

"C'mon, you have to decide!" Kelly Exclaimed. She walked up and hugged me round the waist, looking up slightly into my eyes and giving me the puppy dog eyes with her big… beautiful… deep… blue eyes. I shook myself and coughed into my hand before turning to Steph and shrugging.

"Its not really fair if I do. I've only ever seen Les mis, and that was a broadway one, so I wouldn't actually know." I told them. Steph gasped.

"You will have to come down to London and catch it with me!" she exclaimed. I shrugged and took a gulp of my beer.

"If you say so." She nodded firmly and Kelly stepped back, leaning against the side again. The conversation moved onto a friendly argument about who was better looking out of the 2 with me as a moderator, and as the sky darkened it went from better looker to better kisser. It was quite fun for me, 2 hot girls who I had been crushing on for ages kissing me as long and passionately as they could repeatedly.

Whenever they asked for a decision I wasn't even given time to reply before another pair of lips descended on me. When I finally managed to get away to go the toilet I was smiling from ear to ear. There was a slight cue, so I went and got a desperado and necked it before I finally got into the bathroom. On the way back outside I grabbed 2 trays full of sambuca from my bedroom and took them downstairs. The trays were quite large, a competition between me and chris. Each tray had 40 shots on it. We were always trying to see who was a better heavyweight. I grabbed an extra bottle just in case and went outside. I stood on the table and yelled for quiet and someone turned the music right down.

"Alright everyone! First of all I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight. So far its been a wonderful party!" I winked at Steph and Kelly and they waved and giggled. "However, I am sure you have all seen American pie! I have had a challenge from a Mr Chris Dolphin to see who the bigger heavyweight is. I would like to make it clear that chris and I have both drank the same amount so far tonight, and now we have the sambuca contest!" there was cheering and I yelled for silence. "Alright, rules are simple, Christoph. 40 shots each. If one of us doesn't pass out or throw up after 40 we carry on. Alright?" I asked him. He laughed and nodded and I jumped off. "Oh, and all the shots have to be lit when you neck them!" there was more cheering and laughter and chris glared. I had long been used to this trick, whereas chris always blew it out.

I pulled out a lighter and passed it to a random person as they crowded around the table. Kelly and Steph stood either side of me. The person lit a shot from each tray and continued. "3… 2… 1… Drink!" the crowd yelled. I took the first shot, quickly followed by chris, and moved onto the next. Around 21 I started feeling tipsy and he was starting to sway and wince. I leaned over between shots.

"Don't hold it in your mouth. It will just burn if you do." He glared at me.

"You shir wouldn't know!" he said, slurring his words slightly. I chuckled and shrugged.

"Suit yourself." I necked another and another. I reached forty while chris was on his 30th. Suddenly he leaned over and started heaving into a bucket. Everyone started cheering and I stood, swaying slightly having become fairly drunk myself. I leaned over while he threw up and said loudly "I guess im more a heavyweight then." I stood and turned, thrusting my arms up with a cocky smirk n my face, much to peoples amusement. I turned to Steph and Kelly to see them taking turns sipping from the bottle of sambuca I had brought out. They were both swaying slightly as well. I went over and put and arm around each of their waists before leading them over to a bench next to an open pit fire in the corner of the garden. Not many people were sitting there, most preferring to stand.

I sat first, and the girls each sat on a leg, leaning into my chest.

"So whose the better kisser?" Steph asked, brushing her hand up and down my chest slightly.

"I think you're both equally good. Your both beautiful, your both great kissers, and I have had the biggest crush on both of you this past year." I told them boldly, the alcohol letting me talk, along with the earlier kissing. Kelly started nuzzling my neck and Steph leant in and kissed me as Kelly moved up to my ear.

"So, how about showing us your bed?" I smiled into the kiss and lifted Steph on unsteady feet, carrying her to the bedroom with one hand while leading Kelly with the other. When we got there Kelly grabbed a sock from my drawer and put it on the door handle before closing it and coming over to the bed.

I spent 2 hours with the girls in my room, and we were all only tipsy when we returned to the party as it approached midnight. They were both whispering to each other as they hobbled off into the throng for more drinks and I went and joined in on guitar hero again. People were constantly in and out watching. I was given drinks by Steph and Kelly and they were constantly kissing my neck as I was trying to play the drums. I couldn't remember past 1, just vaguely remembering locking the doors once most people had gone and those staying had gone to sleep before heading up to my room.

I woke up the next morning still a bit drunk and with a naked girl snuggled into either side of me. I took the time to admire each girls body before they woke up before I started panicking. I didn't remember doing it a second time… what if we didn't use protection? I knew I wouldn't get anything. We had all been virgins the first time, and we had used condoms, but we had obviously done something the second time. Did we use protection? one of the girls groaned as her legs shifted and tiredly opened her eyes, looking up and seeing me slightly panicked.

"What's up Dave?" Steph asked me, snuggling further into my chest.

"Did we use protection the 2nd time?" I asked her. She nodded and smiled, snuggling into me. Kelly did the same in her sleep.

"And the third, and the fourth." She kissed my chest and traced the faint muscle lines on my torso. I sighed in relief and kissed the top of her head. She looked up and captured my lips in a sweet kiss. We lay back and drifted off again.

I woke up a couple of hours later and looked down to see both girls were awake and again snuggling into my side. I smiled. "C'mon, girls. I for one need to get up and showered." They pouted but rolled away. "If one of you wants one theres another bathroom just through that door." I told them, gesturing to the en-suite. I watched as Kelly stood and wiggled her sexy little arse all the way to the bathroom. She turned at the door and giggled before blowing me a kiss. I stood and headed down the hall to another bathroom, towel around my waist. I walked in and closed the door before turning on the shower to heat up and brushing my teeth.

I removed my towel and got in the shower and just cleaned up, feeling a bit under the weather but not in the least bit drunk. I finished my shower and went back to my room, being replaced by Steph going out into the hall after robbing my towel. I shook my head with an amused smile and put on a fresh pair of boxers and new pair of jeans, throwing on an unbuttoned T-shirt and stepping out my door, heading downstairs. I groaned every now and again when my stomach was jarred, making me feel a bit queasy, and when I got downstairs Andy was Standing at the cooker making eggs.

I cast a wary glance around and groaned at the mess before grabbing the carton of orange juice (with bits, of course) and a glass, sitting at the table. Andy looked up at my groan with an amused chuckle. "Good night?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I had a good time. How about you?" he nodded.

"It was great. Although I think I was the only one who didn't drink to the point of passing out." He told me. Just then Kelly walked in in one of my T-shirts and her tight jeans from the night before, sitting next to me and grabbing my glass of orange juice. I sighed and stood, getting another 2 glasses, 1 in case Steph wanted some as well. Andy stared open mouthed at Kelly.

"Oh, Dave Steph and me didn't pass out until well into the morning." Kelly said with a pleased smile. She brushed my arm as I sat and Andy chocked slightly.

"Too much information, thanks." I shrugged apologetically. Andy finished his eggs and sat and I went to a cupboard and pulled out eggs milk sugar baking powder and flour. I started putting and mixing everything into a bowl.

"Pancakes Kelly?" I asked and she nodded, walking over and sitting on the counter beside the Hob. She leant back on her hands and smiled happily. I glanced at her bemused. "You don't look very hung over?"

"Steph and I hardly drank last night." She replied simply. I frowned.

"It certainly seemed you drank enough."

"Looks can be deceiving, lover boy." She replied with a laugh as Steph walked in in one of my shirts and a pair of my shorts. Andy started choking again and I walked over, thumping his back.

"Th… thanks." He rasped, taking a drink of his own orange juice. I grinned apologetically as Steph walked over and kissed me.

"Pancakes, Steph?" she sighed and nodded. I went back to mixing, glancing at the pair every now and again. They were definitely hot. "So why pretend to be drunk?"

"Figured it was the only way you'd make a move." Kelly replied. I blushed and shrugged with a pleased grin.

"True." She smiled and nodded, and Steph jumped up on the other side of the hob. I grabbed a large frying pan and put it on the flame, melting some butter onto it before putting mix in it. The rest of the group, i.e. Chris, Jess, Dave, Matt and Caz, hobbled in as I finished the second stack of pancakes. I made one for myself and left the rest to them. They slowly made themselves breakfast, and I felt much better once I had gotten some food into me. When I finished I went into the front room and started watching TV, joined by the girls. We put on Hairspray, which wasn't actually that bad. Andy came back in followed by Dave and Matt.

"So when actually is this snow-boarding day?" He asked as the other 2 collapsed into their chairs with a tired groan.

"5th august." I replied. Steph's interest peaked.

"Snowboarding day? Where?" she asked. I smiled down at her and tightened my arm around her waist gently.

"That place next to the Trafford centre." She looked curious. "Fancy joining?" She frowned.

"I couldn't really afford it. Besides I don't have any gear." I vaguely made out Andy waving his arms trying to tell her not to do that and shot him an amused look. She looked at him funny as well. When the film finished Kelly asked to be taken home, so I took her in the Z4M roadster. I put the top down since it was a beautiful day. We were half way through the drive to her house in West Kirby when she broke the silence.

"Just so you know, that was a one time thing." She told me. I frowned. "I mean, your cute and all, and I like you, but Steph likes you a lot more." I frowned again but nodded. "Look on the bright side, I doubt anyone could ever beat your performance last night." I blushed and chuckled shyly. There was more silence as I pulled up outside her house. She leaned over the door after getting out and kissed my cheek. "Thanks stud. And ask her out." I nodded and she stepped back with a wave. I waited for her to reach her house.

"You can keep the shirt!" I told her with a grin before heading back. When I got back Steph was talking with Dave while Andy and jess were watching a movie in the front room. Matt had apparently taken Caz and Chris home. They looked at me as I stepped in and Dave laughed.

"Speak of the devil!" I had no idea what they were talking about and gave Dave and amused look.

"Alright…" before I could sit down Steph turned to me.

"Erm… Dave, could we… well, could we talk outside?" I nodded and led her into the back garden. I closed the door and leant against the table. There was an awkward pause and I stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You want to go first, or shall i?" I asked quietly. She nodded for me to go first so I nodded and stepped back, wringing my hands nervously. "Alright. Well, I don't usually do this… I mean, I've done it before, but only twice, and they didn't go as planned. Erm, do you maybe… want to go out with me sometime?" I asked her. She stepped forward and buried her head in my chest. I could almost feel her smile through my shirt as she nodded. I heard a muffled 'yes' before she stood on her tip toes and kissed me. I grinned down at her as she dropped off her tiptoes so her head was level with my chin. "You know, I never thought you would be shy around me. It was usually the other way round." She shrugged. "Anyway, what did you want to say?" she stepped back and grabbed my hand, heading towards the door.

"Doesn't matter now. You just said it." I smiled and nodded, following her back inside. Dave had grabbed a bin bag and was just starting to clean up. I started helping, soon joined by the others and we had soon cleared the place. By the end of the day, as it had taken all day to clean, there were 9 bags full of general rubbish and scraps of food, although not much of the latter, 3 bags of beer and alcopop bottles, and a bag of spirit bottles. Andy, Jess, and Dave were staying over again that night, and at about 7 I cooked for everyone before getting into the car to take Steph home. We talked about anything on the drive home and I was reluctant to leave when I parked outside her house.

"So, I guess I'll see you around?" she nodded and smiled. "Listen, I was thinking about the snowboarding thing. Do you want to come with us? It will be fun." She sighed and smiled sadly.

"I cant afford it hun."

"But I can hun. If you want to, just say." She thought about it and looked at me warily.

"You sure?" I nodded. "Alright then. What are you doing tomorrow?" I shrugged.

"I've not really got anything planned, why?"

"Well, fancy coming ice skating with me and a couple of my friends? Its one of their birthday parties and they hired the place." I shrugged with a smile.

"Sure." She smiled and kissed me as she opened the door.

"Great! Be round here around 11, alright?" I nodded and smiled.

"11, got it."

"And don't be late mister!" I nodded again and saluted.

"Yes hun." She giggled and leaned over to kiss me again. She sighed and headed to her house, stepping through the door.

"I'll call you later! Miss you already." I smiled.

"I'll be waiting hun. I'll be here tomorrow at 11! Promise!" she nodded and closed the door, cutting her from sight. I smiled and shook my head, driving home.

The next day I was up at 8, as was Andy and Dave. They were going for a run, and I shrugged and figured I'd join them. After 9 miles I was regretting it. It didn't help that I had to run up a 45 degree angle slope at full sprint to keep up. 3 times! I was panting when we got home, but figured it would be worth it eventually. I told them I would join them whenever they ran and they shrugged and agreed. I went upstairs and washed first, followed by the other 2, and at 10 they left. I sorted out Stephs ticket for the snowboarding day quickly. It was the last one, so I was quite lucky, but from then on I was restless until about half 10 when I set off for stephs in the X6. She had asked the night before if I could drive a couple of her friends as well, so I needed the extra seats. Not that I minded.

I pulled up outside her house 10 minutes early and almost before I had even stepped out of the car she was hugging me. "Hey hun!" I greeted, hugging her tightly, lifting her by the waist, and kissing the crown of her head. she giggled and beamed at me.

"Hey hun." She grabbed my hand and led me into her house, where her mum and dad were waiting. "Mum, Daddy, this is Dave." I stepped forward, nervously.

"Nice to meet you sir, Ma'am." They smiled at me.

"It's our pleasure, Dave. We have heard so much about you these past few months. When she came home last night we couldn't shut her up, she was so happy. Any boy who does that for Steph is fine by me." I blushed at the praise and smiled slightly.

"Thank you ma'am."

"Call me Helen."

"And call me James." Her dad added, shaking my hand firmly. "Interested in cars son?" he asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, James. I have a BMW Z4M roadster. Maybe I could show you sometime?" he beamed and slung an arm around my shoulders, leading me into the kitchen.

"Son, We'll get along just fine." I chuckled. Steph groaned slightly.

"Daddy! We have to go!" he shook his head with a grin.

"Women, always in a rush."

"In fairness, that's one of 2 reasons we get fast cars." I replied with a grin, as Steph led me back out the door.

"What's the other?"

"We like to go fast." He laughed a booming laugh as I got back into the car, having held the door open for Steph. She pouted at me. "What's up hun?"

"I'm not always in a rush." She pouted. "And now daddys going to be all car mad for ages!" I shrugged.

"Sorry hun, but us guys just love cars." She pouted again and I lent over and kissed her cheek as we stopped at a traffic light. "Don't worry hun. It wont be too bad, I'm sure." She dropped her pout slightly. I leant over just before the traffic lights changed and started whispering. "Besides, you look cute when you pout." She blushed and beamed, sitting up straighter as she led me to her friends house. I did this for another friend before finally heading to the motorway and towards Queensferry. It took half and hour to reach the ice skating rink, and I thought to myself 'why does it take half an hour to get everywhere?'

I walked in to the rink with my arm around Steph and she showed her invitation, getting us through. She led me over to a desk where they gave you the skates and asked for a size 4. I awed and she blushed, hitting me lightly. I acted wounded and pouted and she chuckled before I exchanged my own for 9's. We then walked to a bench and put our shoes on and stepped onto the ice, followed by her friends. First things first I was led over to one side were a girl was standing there talking with a number of other girls. I cast a glance around and sighed in relief when I noted I wasn't the only guy. There were four others compared to the 30 + girls there. The girls who's party it was looked like the epitome cheerleader. She was sexy and knew it, but I preferred the cuter Steph.

Steph stepped forward with me supporting her. She wasn't very steady. "Hey Lindsey! This is my boyfriend, Dave."

"Oh, so this is the infamous Dave." I looked amused as Steph blushed. "Its nice to meet you." She shook my hand.

"You too. And Happy birthday. Sorry it isn't more, but it was short notice." I handed her a card and Steph looked at me curiously. Lindsey opened the card and inside was £10.

"Thank you." She told me smiling. I nodded and Steph gestured me to go away for a moment in a non cruel way, and I shot across the ice, heading towards the other boys.

"Hey, I'm Dave, Stephs boyfriend." I introduced myself.

"John, I'm lindseys." He looked like a stereotypical footballer and even had an American accent.

"Graham, I'm Joannes." Another said.

"Fred, I'm Holly's."

"And I'm Martin, I'm Martha's." I nodded.

"Skate much Dave?" John asked. I grinned.

"Nope, but I try." He nodded.

"Fancy a competition?" I thought for a second and shrugged.

"Sure."

"Alright. Were all going to have a race. First round the rink wins." I nodded and we lined up. The girls had moved into the middle.

"3…2…1… Go!" we shot off, Martin and Graham slipping straight away and losing a fair bit of ground regaining their balance. I grinned over at fred and John and went faster.

"What's up, too slow?" I called jokingly, and John laughed, speeding up himself. Fred fell behind aswell, hitting the barrier. Halfway down the other straight I jumped and rotated and started skating backwards, maintaining momentum.

"Thought you didn't skate?" John asked from what was now in front of me.

"I don't. Not often anyway." I turned again for the corner and we finished the last turn at a sprint. I was just ahead of John when we finished and the other guys were just starting the last turn. I stopped skating and just let myself slide to a stop, gliding around the corner. When I came to a stop finally Steph skated over haltingly, laughing.

"Didn't know you could skate." I shrugged and grinned.

"Yup. Oh, and ive booked the snowboarding day for you. Fancy getting the gear on the way home?" she squealed and nodded, jumping on me. I winced at the thought of the blades, but she held them in check.

"Thank you!" she squealed, kissing me. I slowly lowered her again, and immediately she slipped and grabbed me for balance. I just managed to keep us from falling and started leading her around with one arm wrapped securely round her waist and her right hand in mine. I was slightly behind and pushing slightly. It was quite romantic. After a few minutes I loosened my hold and she was fine. I let go completely and she started wobbling as she looked to me again and I just managed to grab her and stop her falling over. We laughed about it and sat on the bleachers for a couple of minutes. There was 2 more hours on the ice apparently, so we had plenty of time.

Music started, most of it upbeat. After 5 songs Steph dragged me out to dance to a song I didn't know, and we amused ourselves with it. The next song was a slow one so Steph and I got close with our arms around each other. I smiled softly at her and started leading us around the rink slowly, twirling every now and then and pushing us both along. It was really romantic. As corny as it sounds, it was just me and her. I didn't notice anyone else. The song finished and there were cheers and applause. Steph blushed, but bowed with a grin and I waved cockily as I went to get a drink.

"Want anything hun?" I asked quietly, leaving her on the ice.

"Just a diet coke please." I nodded and she set off on her wobbly way down the ice. I leant against the door as I got the drinks and set them on a table before heading out onto the ice to get Steph. Just as I was approaching she slipped and fell hard on her ankle. I didn't hear a crack or anything but she cried out in pain. I sped towards her and skidded to a stop, making sure to avoid any body parts. I crouched and looked at her ankle, which seemed fine. I poked at it and she groaned only slightly when I poked around the inside joint.

"Thank god. Just a sprain." I told everyone with a sigh. I looked down at her and brushed her tears away. "alright hun?" I saked softly, resting my forehead against hers. She sniffled lightly but nodded. She started to stand, but before she could I scooped her up and started slowly to the seating area. She blushed and the rest of the group catcalled and whistled which I ignored. I sat her on a bench and gently removed the skate and her sock, checking it. It was starting to swell slightly. I stroked her cheek and headed back to the condiment desk. "Got and ice pack?" I asked the guy. He nodded and passed me a blue ice pack without a moments thought. I knelt next to her and gently put it on her ankle, holding it there. She winced as it connected, whether from the cold or the pain I've no idea. I then turned and took our boots back changing them for shoes and sat on the floor with my back to an opposite bench so I was facing her.

"I guess this means I cant go snowboarding." She moaned softly.

"It should be fine within a week. Its nothing major hun. You just have to stay off it."

"That wont be easy." She told me.

"Sure it will. I'll just carry you." She giggled.

"My hero!" I bowed and she giggled harder. She stood and hopped over to me, holding the ice pack in her right hand and sitting herself between my legs, leaning her back into my chest. I re-applied the ice pack and wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing her cheek.

Through the rest of the party Steph and I sat and watched in that position with people coming up every now and then to check we were alright. She kept trying to get me to go skate, but I couldn't be bothered. I was here for her, I told her, not for Lindsey. When it was time to go I carried her to the car and placed her in the passenger seat and drove her friends home before taking her home. The swelling had gone down and she had her shoes back on, but I still carried her. When I walked in her parents were instantly worried.

"What happened?!" Helen asked.

"She slipped and twisted her ankle. I've told her she isn't aloud to walk until its healed or she cant come snowboarding." Steph mock pouted and nodded. Her mum tried to resist but gave a snort at our innocent looks.

"Alright then. Now that's sorted, why don't you stay for dinner?" I shrugged.

"Id love to Helen, but I have to go home and change first. These clothed are all dirty." She nodded and led me into the front room where I lay Steph on the couch, kissing her briefly on the cheek.

"Come straight back, hero." Steph ordered. I grinned cheekily and saluted.

"Yes Ma'am!" I turned and left, shooting a wink at an openly laughing Helen as I did. I drove home and had a quick wash and change before getting in the Z4 and going back to Stephs. I knocked on the door and was invited in by James. "I have the Z4 outside if you want a look at it." I told him. He was out the door like a shot and I followed amused. I unlocked it again and popped the bonnet and he drooled over it. Then with a laugh I closed the bonnet after a few minutes and tossed him the keys. He looked at me shocked.

"I couldn't!" he exclaimed.

"Sure you could. I had better head in and say hi to Steph again. Why don't you go for a drive?" he ran inside the house.

"Helen! C'mon, we're going for a quick drive!" Helen was soon led out, not looking all that amused until she saw the roadster at which point she hopped in the passenger seat. With a wave they were off like a shot and I headed inside amused. I stepped into the front room and leant down to kiss stephs brow.

"Any better yet?" I asked her. She sighed and shook her head.

"Not really. But at least your back." She gestured for me to lie down behind her and I did, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. We watched TV like that until her parents returned, at which point I sat up and put her feet in my lap. He dad walked in smiling like a little kid and reluctantly handed me the keys back, much to my amusement.

"I take it you had fun?" I asked him. He nodded vigorously.

"I think we both did." Helen stated, smiling as she came into view. "Although we may owe you some tires. This one did a number of wheel spins." I could tell there was something she wasn't mentioning.

"as long as there aren't and dents or scratches its fine." I told her and she nodded. "Besides, I probably do it just as often, so no worries. The track days are fun." I told him and he got more excited as he headed into the back to presumably cook dinner. Steph shook her head bemused.

"Now look what you did." She mock glared. I chuckled and patted her just above the knee.

"There, there hun. No harm done." She huffed and turned to the TV as her mum left the room. I quickly leant down and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Besides, it got them away for a short while." She loosened up and giggled and I grinned to myself as I sat up again.

The next 2 weeks flew and it was soon time for the snowboarding day. I had taken Steph for gear a couple of days ago and she had chosen a lighter version of my own. Her ankle had healed perfectly so I had her, Dave and Matt in my car while Andy, Jess and Caz went in his. We set off at 8, having to be there for 9, which would give us half an hour to change and get gear. Most the stuff was loaded into my boot with a few bits in Andys, and my snowboard was in the back as well. When we got on the motorway I didn't have to shift out of 6th gear, so I held Stephs hand as I drove and we all talked about random things, with me and Steph just smirking randomly at each other every now and then. When a song came on we would all joke about it as well. It took just under the expected half hour to get there and we parked and grabbed our stuff and tickets, heading to the changing area.

We showed our tickets to some people at a desk and were nodded through. Inside were maybe 50 other people bustling about with 2 people sitting against a wall with snowboards near the doors, and a number of people with skiis next to them. I went into the changing room and threw the pants on over my cargo pants, putting thick woollen socks on, putting my thermal jumper on and my coat on top of that, and I put my hat on. I left the goggles off and in my pocket and slipped on my brothers old boots which fit me fine. I waited for the others to get ready and followed them over to the gear. Steph was last of the group to get hers and I stepped forward when she finished.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. I felt Steph step up and wrap her arm around me and the twirling stopped immediately. I grinned at her politely and held the board.

"This was my brothers, and I was wondering if you could tell me if it was right for me to ride?" I asked her. She looked me over taking more time than I thought appropriate before checking the board. Finally she nodded.

"I think it will be alright." I nodded and thanked her, smiling and leading Steph away with an arm around her waist. She leant into me and I grabbed her board as we went to sit near the large group by the wall were the others were already talking.

"So, you ready for today hun?" I asked her, checking her gear. She nodded and swatted my hand away giggling.

"I don't need dressing." She stated. I shrugged and grinned.

"Never said you did hun." The others laughed as she plopped heavily into my lap and I let out a large blast of air from my chest. As I was sucking in some more air a man and 2 women stepped up.

"Hey, Are you guys the snowboarding group?" he asked us.

"For the days lesson?" he nodded. "Yeah, that's us." He grinned and gestured for us to stand.

"Alright, just a few ground rules. None of you are to go on the slope without my persmission. We will be out until 1, when we will have an hour break for lunch. During that break you aren't aloud on the slope without supervision. Alright?" we nodded as one. "Good. Alright, now follow me." He led us out and Steph grabbed my hand. I squeezed lightly and smiled at her and she relaxed her grip slightly as we stepped out onto the snow. It was quite firm with little risk of slipping. We stopped at the far end of a shallow slope, near a wall and a ski lift. "Alright guys and gals, boards on the floor." We did as told. "Now, I just want to check you have been given the right gear." He checked us all over and checked our boards, stopping at Andy. "It seems they've given you a board that's too short. Just a minute." He grabbed Andys board and went back for a minute before returning and handing it to him. He nodded after a moment and checked me. "Had this made for you?" he asked gesturing to the board.

"It was my brothers." He nodded and moved onto Steph who was fine.

"Alright, everyone is fine. Now, I want you to put your left foot into the straps." We did. "No repeat what I do." He started stepping round in a circle dragging his board behind him. We did similar exercises for the first 30 to 45 minutes before he stopped us. "Right, now to the slope. Just go up to the lift there and stand on it. It will carry you up." He went first and we followed to the top of the slope, maybe 20 metres high and 75 back. We sat at the top. "Now before we get to just doing a bit of a run I want you all to learn to control the board. First thing first…" he showed us over the next few minutes how to go slowly down the slop with our boards horizontal to the wall in front of us. We titled the lip of the board back to stop and flattened the board to go. We each did it a number of times. After the first hour, where I was bored after finishing it rather easily, we were shown how to turn. All we had to do was twist our heads and the board seemed to follow.

We were told not to lean on the board until we had progressed a fair bit further and allowed to go down the slope a turn at a time so that first we faced forward, then backward and so on. Steph was a bit nervous at first, but Andy and I got it immediately, and seeing we had done it seemed to boost the others confidence as they soon got it themselves. We then had to go for lunch. As we were heading off the man stopped me and Andy. "Alright guys, I think another hour and youll be ready to try some proper stuff. Maybe by the end you could get on the big slope. Fancy seeing about a few short runs and stops?" we nodded. "Great, see you after lunch." Again we nodded and headed off, putting our boards into the lockers.

I took Stephs hand while Andy did the same with Jess and We walked over towards the restaurants. "So what do you want, hun?" I asked Steph. She looked around.

"How about some sandwhiches? I don't want anything too heavy. I grinned and nodded.

"Read my mind hun." I turned to the others. "How about you guys?" they thought about it and shrugged.

"Well, I fancy that chicken place." Jess stated. Caz nodded, followed by Matt, who had a huge thing for Caz. Andy shrugged.

"Ill go for a sandwhich." Dave replied, smiling. I nodded.

"Alright then. We'll meet you guys back on the slope?" they nodded and we headed our separate ways. Steph and I each grabbed a BLT while Dave grabbed a cheese sandwich. Steph and I simultaneously gave the cheese sandwich dodgy looks, neither of us liking the dairy. I grabbed a coke, Steph an oasis, and Dave a fanta. We then sat at a small table. "So having fun so far?" I asked them with a huge smile. They nodded frantically.

"Its epic!" Dave exclaimed. Steph nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm really glad we're all doing this. Especially together. Probs the last time before you all go off to uni." Steph frowned. It was a sore spot for us, with her going all the way to London while I was here near Liverpool.

"Don't forget to come visit during breaks." Dave told me, laughing. I grinned and put my arm around Steph's shoulders, swallowing my bite.

"Sorry mate, most my times going to be between college, work, and Steph here." He grinned at me and shrugged. "Maybe one weekend or something." He nodded. "But maybe we could all do something around Christmas." Again he nodded, swallowing as I took another bite.

"Party at your house." Dave suggested. I grinned and shrugged. The talk continued about our lesson and how we were enjoying it, and what our favourite part was so far before we finished and headed back out. When we got there our instructor was sitting at the top talking with the ski instructor and we headed up the lift with out boards.

"Hey, we alright to practice." He nodded with a grin and turned back to his conversation and I started weaving down the slope. I was going quite fast when I hit the bottom and had a brilliant time stopping with a spray of snow coming out from under my board. Steph was standing at the top with her mouth open in shock and the instructor looked quite happy about something as Dave followed me down slowly. I got back on the lift and went to the top.

"Nice. Maybe you'll be ready sooner than I thought. Fancy a speed run? Just do what you did then only shallower turns." I nodded and he led me over to the skiers slope. "Watch me first." He went down, quickly getting some speed and lightly weaving maybe about a metre in either direction from a straight top to bottom line. He stopped with a spray of snow and again I weaved my way down doing the same. The first time I was going faster and slipped onto my bum when I turned to stop. I quickly headed back up and had another go, stopping perfectly this time. I did it another 3 times before the rest of the group returned. "Alright Dave, why don't you show Andy how to do that while I continue with the rest?" I nodded and kissed Steph's cheek before taking Andy to the edge of our practice slope. No one was using this lane, as it was furthest from the lift.

"Alright mate, simple watch and repeat." I told him, flowing smoothly down the slope. He was soon down with me, but was flat on his arse like my first time. Again we repeated it, but it took him maybe 6 tries before he stayed on his feet. From then on he consistently stopped. One our way back up after Andy's 10th go the instructor stopped us.

"Now just go straight down, no swerving, and stop at the bottom." I nodded and we went to our lane. It was big enough for us both to go at the same time with plenty of room, so we did with a grin. I went down leading with my left side, Andy led with his right, so we were watching each other as we slid. We stopped fine when we reached the bottom, stopping maybe 4 feet from the wall and the cushions on them. Again we repeated it for about 3 turns. On our way back up we were told to wait next to the instructor as the others continued learning to turn.

"You guys are fast learners. Alright, I'm going to set up an obstacle half way down the slope. I want you to take turns trying to jump it. You can go straight at it or turn into it, whatever. I just want you to jump it." We nodded and beamed at each other. Steph squeezed my arm as I passed her and we reached our section. I grinned at Andy and didn't even bother stopping. I started swerving down the slope as fast as I could and hopped over the obstacle, a lane divider which was about a foot high and a foot wide. It was basically a plastic rectangle with a hollow centre. I watched Andy as we hit the bottom and we went back up. After 2 turns the instructor smirked. "Alright, you 2 are ready for the main slope. One thing though. I am going to set up another block behind the one your jumping. I want you to jump over the first and 180 over the second."

Again, we did it, although it took us a couple of tries. Andy landed hard on his arse and was apparently slightly hurt, but we laughed it off and continued. I decided to have a bit of fun since the 2nd block wasn't that far away, maybe a board and a half distant. I shot down the slope and jumped high as I could, clearing the first and almost clearing the 2nd, but my board connected at the back. I landed fine and stopped at the bottom and our instructor slapped my back at the top. "Alright guys, stop showing off and go play with the big fish." He nodded at the main slope, which was maybe 1000 metres back and 300 high. We grinned to each other and went down our slope, clearing the blocks again and continuing to the lift for the main slope.

We headed to the top and as we were on the lift I watched the rest of the group move over to do our speed exercises. When I reached the top of the slope I waited my turn and smirked at Andy as he lost balance half way down. I swerved so I didn't gain too much speed to stop and reached the bottom going much faster than on the learner slope, but stopping easily. I slapped andys back and laughed before heading back up. "Nice ass plant, mate." I called behind me. He groaned. We continued shooting down the slope until the day was over at 5 o'clock. We had gotten maybe 3 runs on the main slope, going faster and faster each time until we were as fast as we could get.

I stepped off the snow with a new favourite hobby. When we got into the changing room I was immediately latched onto by a beaming Steph.

"Alright, hun?" I asked her, sitting to take off my boots. She nodded and kissed me soundly, a hand on either side of my face.

"Today was fantastic hun! We have to do it again!" I laughed and kissed her back, finishing removing my shoes and putting them into my hold all. I then removed my coat, pants and jumper and put them in too, and slid my board into its case, all set. Steph kissed me again as I stood. She had changed before I had gotten in. I went to the rest of the group and we all laughed and joked about our day. Well, all apart from jess who was grumbling about something or other. Me and Andy were ribbing each other about who went faster and who was the better boarder as we headed to and loaded the cars, and we got in to head over to the Trafford centre for dinner.

We were lazy and went to Mcdonalds. I sent the others on ahead and went over to a camping store while they continued, chatting amiably. Inside the store I bought some apparently quite good walkie-talkie for in the car and went to Mcdonalds, handing one to Andy. "So I can tell you im better while we drive." I told him. He scoffed and the others laughed as the ribbing continued.

We had a good time during our dinner and the ride home and we got back around 7 o'clock. We all went to mine first to watch the last samurai before heading home. I took Dave and Matt while Andy took Jess and Caz. Obviously, Steph was also with me. I took Dave to upton, Matt to caldy, and Steph to Heswall. Stephs was the farthest away, so I took her last. Before she got out of the car I gave her a deep kiss and thanked her for coming today. I then got out and grabbed her stuff from the boot, carrying it in for her before giving her one last hug and kiss before leaving, waving to Helen and James.

A week later I had to head into college to get my exam results, and I took Steph as she needed to get hers as well. She was nervous as she picked them up while I just shrugged and opened them. Not bad. A B and C in A2 DT and performance studies respectively, and a B in Art AS. I smiled, proud of myself. I then turned to Steph. She seemed a bit frozen and kept looking from the envelope to me. I smiled at her and pinched the envelope, opening them for her slowly. I withdrew her results and smiled proudly, not wanting to tease her.

"3 A's hun. Your in." She squealed and pounced on me, kissing me deeply. The were a couple of shocked gasps from around us, and a couple exclamations of Oh My God! From people who had been in our performance group, which was no surprise as me and Steph hadn't really talked all that much during lessons. We had to endure a round of questions such as 'when did this happen' but didn't mind. After only 10 minutes we slipped away and called her parents and my grandparents to tell them our results. We were both told how proud our families were, and I took Steph back to mine where we spent the rest of the day snuggling and kissing, and just generally relaxing. Her accommodation and that was being sorted by her parents, so there was nothing to worry about any more. She had already called the uni to say she'd be attending. She spent the night at mine, but we didn't do anything, wanting to wait before we started doing that often.

I had to go in the next day to register for the next year, and continued with Art, theatre studies A2, and Psychology AS as I had to take 3 subjects. Steph was away visiting her nan at the moment, so after that was done I called the guys and we went bowling and had some fun with that, playing 6 rounds one after the other. I got a call at 7 from Steph and we just talked randomly, and the guys stayed the night where we just played WOW, sad as we are, and X-box games. It was fun in a sad, nerdy way, but we didn't care. Steph was back that Friday and we all decided to go for a night on the town.

Everyone was expecting to stay at mine after, so I had a couple of spare beds set up in the study and front room, and got ready. I simply changed into what I wore for my birthday, minus the tie, and didn't bother gelling my hair, as usual. I checked my ID was in my wallet and nipped to the nearest cash machine and withdrawing £200. Probably a bit excess, but better safe than sorry.

They all arrived at mine at 8 and I had prepared a nice lasagne for us all, which we gorged on so we wouldn't get too drunk to quickly. Steph was hot as hell in a soft material layered black dress with a black shirt on that emphasised her perfectly proportioned hourglass figure, and with red lipstick on. Her black hair was in a ponytail and came to the top of her shoulders. She didn't wear too much makeup, which I preffered. I was often telling her she was a natural beauty. At 9 we got a taxi to the train station and a train over to Liverpool. When we arrived the clubs were just starting to get customers and I looked to the others. "Well, first time for me guys. Where to?" I asked. They all shrugged and we went into the first one, Reflex. Inside was a dance floor and a number of comfy chairs on the lower floor. We weren't sure if we were allowed upstairs, so we went and got some drinks and sat.

Steph had a WKD and I had a double steamboat. We sat together on the single chair with the others around us, and just held each other and joked with the others. Occasionally Steph would drag me up to dance, and we'd laugh and joke when we did. We stayed for about 2 hours when it was finally picking up before heading to another club, Ba Ba's. we stepped inside and headed upstairs, almost slipping on the steps. Obviously a lot of drinks had been spilt on them. At the top there was almost no room what so ever on the dance floor or surrounding area so we just turned and left without a word, heading towards Mood.

Mood was better, but not much. It was quite packed, but with room on the dance floor. We went to the bar and ordered our drinks. Both Steph and I had a double Sambuca shot, obviously lit. Steph blew hers out while I necked it and ordered a WKD, another double steamboat, and another double sambuca. I necked the second sambuca and grabbed the steamboat, taking a sip as I followed Steph onto the dance floor.

As the night progressed Steph was getting more and more drunk, and as she did she became more and more shy for some reason or another. I was starting to get tipsy, but wasn't all that affected. At 12:30 we headed for the Krazyhouse. Inside were 3 floors, the lowest with metal and the highest with soft rock and club music. Again, we grabbed drinks first, I had another double shot and surreptitiously got the barman to replace Stephs Vodka Coke with straight coke. She didn't tell the difference and I gave a fair tip to thank them. We again started dancing and I was really hot. I noticed a load of people without their shirts on, so unbuttoned my own. The 2 weeks of running was already starting to show as I was much more toned.

Steph started kissing me on the dance floor and I led her off and to a booth on a kind of lower observation level. We kissed for almost a half hour before going to replace our drinks. We stayed in the club, dancing, kissing and drinking until we were kicked out at 3 and we went to Mcdonalds and got a taxi home. I paid for all 4, the total coming to about £100 from Liverpool to my house, and let everyone in. Steph was drunk, but not overly so, and had fallen asleep in the taxi, so I juggled her around in my arms as I locked the door, leaving the keys in. I then carried her up to my room and lay her on my bed, removing my clothes so I was in my underwear and slipping in next to her.

She started wriggling out of her own clothes so she was in her underwear and pulled my arm around her stomach so I was spooning her from behind, and we drifted off like that. I really enjoyed the feel of her soft skin resting against mine.

The final few weeks of the summer holidays absolutely shot by. I saw Steph almost every day before I went back to college. She was moving down to London that weekend, and I was going to drive her and help her settle in. The first day of college was a Tuesday. I went in at 9, bleary eyed and tired, and headed to the drama studio. There was a long que outside so I waited at the back, almost literally twiddling my thumbs. After a 15 minute wait I finally got into the room and headed to a tabled labelled with a letter A.

"Name?"

"Dave Allen." I replied with a smile. The woman rooted through a pile of paper before taking one out.

"ID?" I showed her my drivers licence and she nodded before handing over my timetable. I walked off and the next person walked up. "Name?" I laughed a little at how bored she sounded as I left the drama studio. I checked my timetable and gave a mental cheer when I saw I had no lessons on a Tuesday. As such I went back to my car and drove home. I spent the day just lounging about the house and learning my timetable. The next day I had Art in the morning and Theatre 2nd period. 3rd period was short course, but as a 3rd year I didn't have to do that.

The next day wasn't too bad, pretty much just an outline of what we were going to be doing through the year and meeting our classmates. My art seemed like it was going to be allright, if a bit tedious at first, and the theatre seemed like it would be fun. I noticed 2 girls looking at me in theatre, both short, and one rather large, the other with a thin figure and a face that seemed to still have baby fat or something. The larger one was called Rachel and the baby faced one was beth. She immediately struck me as someone who liked getting their own way.

Thursday and Friday passed with me meeting my psychology and form teachers. It was the same woman for both, and she was a very attractive woman of about 26 with black hair and sharpish features. She also had a nice smile with a gap between her front teeth, and like Steph was short and slim with an hourglass figure. If I was older I might have tried something, but I was happy with Steph.

On Friday I went and stayed at Steph's house, sleeping downstairs to appease her parents, who themselves were becoming good friends. There was one time were Steph was making a phonecall and James and I had a fantastic conversation about cars, in which I told him about how I had gotten a letter from ford telling me a GT was on its way. Apparently it had been ordered by my dad as an 18th birthday present a couple of years ago. It was due to arrive next month. I promised him that when I got it id take him out for a spin.

I was woken up at 7 in the morning by Steph jumping on my stomach laughing. I groaned and grabbed her, pulling her down and trying to get back to sleep. She giggled and slapped my chest lightly. "C'mon, love! Time to go! It's a long drive!" I groaned again but loosened my grip and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. James walked in and handed me a coffee and I gave him a grateful look, taking a sip.

"Showers free when you want it." He told me and I nodded.

"Thanks." I stood and took another couple gulps to finish it off, grabbing my rucksack and heading upstairs. I tiredly got into the shower for a quick 5 minute shower and threw on a pair of jeans and a tight white shirt. I brushed my teeth and had a quick shave before heading down again into the hall. We had loaded the suitcases and everything into the car the night before, so we were all set.

"Ready hun?" Steph asked excitedly. I nodded with a sigh and shook James' hand and headed out to the car as Steph hugged her parents. I got in and turned the engine on before slipping on my seatbelt. Steph hopped in and put a CD into the player. I gave an amused groan as Take that started playing and started off on the 4 hour drive. I stopped twice. Once for some breakfast, and once for the toilet, before finally getting to London, at which point I had to find the halls of residence. When we finally got there we saw it was a large apartment building. I was led to the residency office by Steph where I was given a slip of paper to put in my car allowing me to park there, and she got her room key and all her information. We were shown to her room and had a quick look around before going and getting her things from the car. It took 2 turns to get all her things up to her room, at which point we then had to put everything away. I let her do her underwear and stated hanging some dresses and things up when there was a knock on the door. We looked up and saw a rather thin guy with a very wiry frame and some supposedly stylishly messy black hair.

"Hey, I'm mike, nice to meet you." He introduced. He had that voice that immediately made you think he was gay. "Which one of you is moving in?" he asked. I gave him a raised eyebrow and looked towards the dress in my hand in disbelief as Steph giggled at me, swatting my arm and stepping forward with her hand outstretched.

"Hi, I'm Steph." She greeted. He smiled and nodded. "And this is my boyfriend, Dave." I was a bit disturbed when he gave me a hawkish look.

"Yummy." I restrained the urge to shudder and shook his hand after putting the dress away.

"Nice to meet you." I greeted. I turned to a suitcase where there were some shorts and shirts and started putting them away while Steph got to know her new room mate. I had finished in about 10 minutes and left the unmentionables and bathroom stuff to her. I went over to their kitchen and kissed Steph as I sat next to her. "Hey hun. Just all the girlie stuff I figured I'd leave to you."

"Thanks hun." She replied, taking my hand and moving to sit on my lap.

"So what are you studying?" I asked Mike, putting my hands on stephs stomach.

"I'm doing performance studies." He told me.

"Same as Steph here? Cool. So that's what you want to do?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah, my ambition is to be the lead in Les miserable." He told me. I nodded with an amused grin as Steph giggled. "What?"

"Your lucky. It's the only thing this guy has ever seen on stage, and it was on broadway." She told him and he gaped.

"You saw les mis on broadway?!" I nodded. "You lucky bastard!" I burst out laughing and Steph frowned. She was rather against swearing. We heard a door opening and closing and I caught a glimpse of a girl dragging a couple of suitcases in followed by people I assumed to be her parents and her brother. We kept talking and the parents soon joined us.

"So you three are also living here?" I shook my head in the negative.

"These 2 are. I'm just bringing Steph here down." They nodded and sat and joined in the conversation. Apparently the 2 kids were twins both attending the school. The boy was studying Chemistry and the girl was studying Directing. There were 4 more rooms left, and we soon found out that they were for a group of girls. They were friends and all apparently studying Music. Their ambition was to form a girl group. I held my thoughts close to my chest. I really didn't like girl groups. The twins parents left an hour after they arrived, and I was staying with Steph tonight and heading back tomorrow.

It was a month later, and I had settled into college well, and Steph was managing well with her courses in university. I went down every other weekend, and basically as often as I could. Unfortunately it didn't seem to be enough, as when I was down Steph was swamped with work, be it learning lines, developing ideas or writing an essay. As such it was obvious our relationship was on the rocks. So it was that one weekend I went down much more grim than usual. When I arrived I went up to her rooms and knocked, being let in by Steph looking rather withdrawn.

"We need to talk." She told me straight away. I nodded and she led me into her room and closed the door. I sat on the bed and she sat next to me, tentatively taking my hand. "Hun, I really, really like you." She told me. I nodded, hearing a bit of reluctance in her voice. "But with my workload I cant spend any real time away from my work, especially not if I want to be successful. I'm sorry, but… I think we need to break up." A tear escaped her eyes. I reached up and brushed it away and she seemed to take comfort from my hand as more tears escaped. I leant forwards and lightly kissed the crown of her head, breathing in.

"I know." I told her reluctantly. She sighed and sobbed lightly. I pulled her into a hug. "I know." I just held her in my arms as she cried. There was a knock on the door after a few minutes and after a moment to collect herself Steph went over and answered, giving a weak smile to mike.

"Hey Steph, you done the…" he looked up and saw the tear stains. "What up?!" he exclaimed, placing his things down and holding her at arms length. I stepped forward and gave a weak smile of my own.

"I'm afraid Steph and I have just… split up." I told him. He gasped.

"What?! Why?" he asked. A couple of the other roommates stepped out.

"What's going on here?" they asked.

"Steph and Dave have just split!" Mike exclaimed. There were a number of other exclamations, not least of which why.

"Well, with Steph's workload, when I do come down we cant really do anything, and she wants to be the best. I support her in that and don't want to distract her." Steph was crying again and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I want her to succeed. I want her to get everything she tries to get. Most of all I want her happy. With me now, she may be happy for a short moment, but in a few months, what if she found someone else but didn't want to dump me because, knowing her, she'd feel guilty?" She made to protest but I gave her a smile. "Was Hypothetical." She clammed up and looked down again. "I may make her happy in the here and now, but to definitely be happy in the future she needs to succeed." Steph nodded and looked at them. The girls and mike were sighing and the other lad, John, was looking sympathetic.

"I was the one to split us up. My reason was simply my workload, and it doesn't make it any easier to resist cancelling the idea when he explains it like that. But I cant balance my work and a boyfriend." The girls stepped up and started comforting Steph and I sighed and headed to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of coke I had left last time and making a drink. John came and sat with me.

"Tough break, dude." I nodded and grinned weakly.

"Yeah, but I was going to do it anyway if Steph hadn't." he nodded and looked out the window to the street below. There was a pause.

"You're a good man Dave." He told me. The silence returned and after about half an hour Steph and the rest of the room mates walked in.

"So what now?" Mike asked. I stood and grabbed my coat.

"Now I suppose its home time for me. I just didn't want to do any of this over the phone." I told him. There were a number of protests.

"But it's already 8!" One of the girl group, Sarah, exclaimed. I shrugged.

"I was expecting a long…" I yawned. "Long drive." I cursed the yawn, as it just enforced the protests.

"But you must be tired! You cant do a four hour drive when you're tired! It isn't safe!" another of the group, Rachel, exclaimed.

"As I said, I was expecting it." They weren't having any of it.

"You can stay in my room." John told me. I went to protest and Steph gave me a look.

"You can still stay in my room. One more night, hun?" she asked me, her eyes almost pleading. I sighed and gave her a sad grin. That offer and look was breaking my heart.

"You know I could never say no to that." She smiled and gave a sad giggle and the others sighed in relief. She came up and grabbed my hand, leading me back to her room. She again closed the door and came and sat next to me.

"You aren't making it easy for me to stick to this." She told me.

"It wasn't easy for me in the first place, love. But it has to be done." She smiled and brushed my cheek, looking in my eyes.

"You are…" she sighed and smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "I cant believe I'm losing you." She told me. I leant back and rested on my forearms.

"I was thinking the same thing." I told her with a sigh of my own. She lay back and snuggled into my chest. "This is probably the second hardest time of my life, but it needs to be done. I want you to succeed, and I was standing in the way." I told her.

"How about if we just make the visits more sporadic?" she asked. I thought for a moment but shook my head.

"I wish we could, but it would just make the same problem. I'd be thinking about you constantly and wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work. I don't know about you, but that's how it would be for me." She nodded and kissed my chest through my shirt. "And now, maybe you can find a nice guy closer to you? That way if you get even an evening off mid week you can spend it with your boyfriend. Any guy will be lucky to have you." I told her. Again, she nodded. "Now, I don't know about you, but I need cheering up. You free for a night out?" she giggled and nodded again, and after a moment stood again and gestured for me to leave. I assumed she wanted to get changed. "Want me to invite the guys?" I asked and she beamed and nodded again. I closed the door behind me and noticed all her dorm mates hanging around the corridor a bit too casually.

"You know, you can stop pretending you weren't listening and go get ready if you're coming." I told them. They looked guilty but went into their rooms, closing the door behind them. I didn't really have a change of clothes, not having expected to spend the night. I considered going to buy some, but realised all the shops would be closed. I checked what I was wearing and was in some blue jeans, my brown slip ons and a white linen button up shirt. It would be decent enough for clubbing. I also had my black leather jacket. I checked my wallet and saw I only had about £20 cash. I'd have to go to the cash machine. I waited in the kitchen for a few minutes and realised that it would take the girls at least a fair while to get ready. John came out of his room just as I knocked on Stephs door. "I'm just going to grab some food." She called through the door to say she heard.

"Alright if I come?" John asked. I grinned and nodded. I put on my jacket and led the way to the local chipshop.

"Yes?" the girl behind the counter asked, a rather bookish redhead with a number of freckles and some round glasses.

"Hi, can I have 6 portions of chips, 9 fish, 9 sausages, some egg fried rice, and a kebab." John was looking at me, obviously amused.

"Erm… that… that will just take a minute." The girl said, looking up and stuttering for some reason. I nodded and stood back talking to John. He seemed to be amused about something, but whenever I looked around nothing really seemed to be happening. I shrugged it off, figuring it was a little quirk or something. We kept talking about who was better, Liverpool or Man United. I was an avid Liverpool fan. I used to be an evertonian, but I changed as the rest of my family were Liverpudlians.

After about 20 minutes our food was ready and we did the short walk back to the dorm. When we got back the girls were just finishing getting ready. I layed out the food in bowls, keeping my Kebab and started eating as the others just had whatever. That was the last night Steph and I ever acted as Boyfriend and girlfriend, and again we didn't have sex, but we fell asleep holding each other for the last time.

When I woke up the next morning it was 11. I lay there for a moment with my arms around Steph before rolling out of the bed and onto the floor with a light thud. I went to the bathroom and had a quick shower, changing in the bathroom into my clothes from the night before and grabbed my wallet, Keys, phone and glasses from the bedside table. I sat next to Steph's sleeping form on the bed and didn't really want to wake her up. Reluctantly I shook her shoulder. She swatted at my hand still asleep.

"Steph. Steph…" she groaned and sat up, the covers dropping to her waist, revealing her bra-clad chest. She looked at me.

"What is it, hun?" she asked. I frowned.

"I'm going home now Steph. I just wanted to wish you a good year, and wanted to say… say goodbye in person." She frowned and some more tears escaped as she nodded and looked down. "well, Goodbye Steph." I told her, practically having to force the words out. I stood and exited through the door, closing it behind me. As soon as I did I heard some sobbing from her room and poked my head into the kitchen. "I just wanted to say bye, guys. I probably wont be seeing you for at least a long while." Some of the girls moaned and gave me hugs, and the guys slapped my back. I stepped back and gave a sad wave before stepping out and closing the door behind me.

I sighed as the sound of sobbing disappeared and went to my car. I started the engine and reversed out the space, before slowly manouvering around the parked cars and to the exit. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw Steph running after me wearing some shorts and a shirt with some pumps. She looked to be screaming for me to wait, but I couldn't. I drove around the corner and out of sight, my last glimpse of her was her falling to her knees crying and Sarah and the other room mates comforting her.

The drive home was silent, as I turned the radio off, not in the mood to listen to music, considering the first few songs were Hero by Enrique Iglesias, Cry me a river by Justin Timberlake, and Patience by take that, which was Steph favourite song. My phone had been ringing every now and again, but I didn't answer as I was driving. I didn't bother stopping and got home at around 3pm. I pulled up alongside my new Ford and locked the car, heading into the house.

I sat on the sofa staring at the TV, not really paying attention to what was on until my phone brought me back to present around 7:30. I answered, not looking at the caller ID. "Hello?" I asked monotonously.

"I cant do it hun!" It was Steph.

"hun, we've bin over this." I choked.

"But I need you! I really need you! I cant think of anything else at the moment!" she exclaimed.

"You aren't making this easy hun! But we have to think to the future." I told her. She was crying down the phone.

"I don't want to! What's the point of living for the future if you wont enjoy it?!"

"Hun… let me… let me think about it. I'll call you." I told her. I hung up before she could reply and stood, heading outside and to my Ford. I got in and drove carefully to Stephs parents house. I went up to the door and knocked. It was answered by Helen.

"Dave! This is a surprise, we thought you were in London! Has something happened?" she asked.

"Hey, Helen. Is James there?" I asked. She frowned and stepped back.

"James?! Its Dave!" There was the sound of running and james appeared a moment later looking excited.

"Hey. I got the car. Fancy going for a drive?" I asked him. He grabbed a jacket from the hanger beside the door and ran into the car. I laughed and waved at Helen before getting in myself. I drove slowly to a park listening to James go on about the power, handling, sound, etc. of the car. As I drove I started talking. "I have to admit, my reasons for inviting you out weren't entirely innocent." I told him. He turned and raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"Well, Last night Steph and I split up." He seemed confused.

"But you both seem to be head over heels for each other?" he half asked confused. I nodded.

"We are."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, when I go visit Steph on the weekend I seem to be distracting her from her work, and I know she wants to be the best. She cant if I keep interrupting her."

"So why not just go down less often?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Same problem. She'll still have work. I thought she should have the right to have someone closer to where she is so she can see them if she gets a spare minute. She agreed. But…"

"But what?"

"But it's hard. I'm thinking of her future, and so is she, but she's asking me to forget it and go back to her… but I'm not sure its best for her." I told him. He frowned.

"Son, I can tell you that this has increased my impression of you, which was already quite high. But I have to tell you something. C'mon, we should head back, so Helen can have her say." I turned at a roundabout and drove back. I was then led into the front room and sat on one couch while Steph's parents sat on the other. I explained the situation to Helen and she frowned and nodded.

"So you see, I'm not sure what to do. I really want to be with her, but I'm not sure it's best for her." I told them, looking at my hands.

They looked at me, obviously thinking. Just then the phone rang. Helen went and answered. "Hello, Montgomery residence?.. Hey hunny… We know… he's sitting right here hunny… hang on." Helen held the phone away from her ear. "Up for a conference call?" she asked me. I hesitated but nodded. She pressed a button and put the phone back on the hook and there was some light static.

"Daddy?" Steph asked.

"Hey hunny." James answered. There was some sniffling.

"Daddy, I'm a bit lost." She told him weakly.

"You aren't the only one hunny." He answered.

"What up, daddy?" I smiled. It was just like Steph to care for others over herself.

"I've just been talking to Dave about certain events. You alright hunny?" he asked. The cries intensified.

"Oh, Daddy! I haven't even been able to stop crying since he left this morning! I miss him so much!" James shifted about a bit, obviously feeling a bit awkward. "Why did I have to be so stupid?! I could cope! I was doing alright!" she exclaimed. I again started crying and wiped my eyes.

"Hunny, why did you break up with him in the first place? I need to know what you were thinking."

"I was thinking I couldn't do it with him always here, but it's the opposite! I need him!" she told him.

"but what about after a week apart and you find you don't need him as much as you think?" he asked.

"Daddy, I may not need him here all the time, but I need to know he is there when I need him! I need to know that he'll be there when I'm sad, or just be there to share the good times! I need him daddy! I really need him." She seemed almost shocked herself. "I need him." She was talking to herself now and I made up my mind.

"I need you too." I told her quietly. There was silence.

"Dave?" Steph breathed. I nodded before realising she couldn't see me.

"Yes, love." I said in the same tone.

"I'm sorry! I should never have split up with you! I really need you!" she seemed amazed at this fact. James and Helen left the room, shutting the door behind them. "I love you!" this was the first time she had ever said that word around me, absolutely refusing to use it unless she meant it. It immediately shocked me.

"You… you mean it?" I asked her.

"Yes!" she half laughed half sobbed. "I really Love you! I love you!" she kept saying this over and over.

"I love you too, love! Sod this split! We are being stupid!" I told her with a laugh of my own.

"Thank you so much love!" this time there was relief in her tone.

"But…"

"But what?!" She was panicked.

"I wont be coming down every weekend, love." I told her.

"What do you mean? Why not?" she asked.

"You still have work to do. I'll put a condition on it. I wont come down every weekend unless I know for sure you've done all your work. Otherwise its every other or every three weeks depending on how often."

"Alright. I understand that. Starting next week?" she asked hopefully. I snorted.

"No hun, this coming weekend I think you need to work. Weekend after?" I asked.

"Ok, Love. Ill see you in 2 weeks?" she asked.

"Just don't tell the others im coming. I'd like to surprise them." She laughed properly then. "Besides, I have something to show you then."

"Alright. I'll call you?"

"Not if I call you first. Want to talk to your parents again?" I asked her.

"I just want to say bye and thanks." She told me. Before I got to the door they stepped in. James shrugged at me and I snorted.

"Hey hunny!" James called.

"Hey Daddy. Is mum there?"

"Yes, Hun."

"Heya. I wanted to thank you guys. You're the best!"

"No problem, Hunny."

"Anyway, I have to go. The guys are worried. I'll talk to you all later?"

"Alright hunny, have fun."

"Bye guys!"

"Bye!" we all called and she hung up. I sighed and slouched into the couch. I looked towards James and Helen. "Thanks." I told them with all my heart. They simply smiled and nodded.

"No problem son. I suppose it helps that we actually like you." James told me, and I swatted his arms with a laugh. "Fancy another drive before I head home?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded and I led him back to the car and started driving home. I pulled into the drive and stepped out, James looking confused as he followed behind. I grinned and tossed the shocked man the keys to the Ford. "What?" he asked, shocked.

"It's a thank you. You have secondary insurance, don't you?" he nodded, still surprised. "Well, you can have the car for the next 2 weeks until I head down to London." I told him.

"I can't, Dave."

"Sure you can. It's the only way you're getting home." I told him with a shrug. "It's the least I can do." He looked straight into my eyes and we didn't talk for a few minutes before he nodded and slipped towards the driver side of the Red car with white stripes.

"Thanks." He told me before getting in and closing the door. I watched and waved as he reversed out the drive and headed carefully down the street. I laughed and got back into my house for a happier evening.

My phone went off for a text message.

_Congrats. _

That was all it said, and underneath were the names of Steph's flat mates. I beamed the rest of the night.

Again, the week passed quickly, and that Friday I headed out with my friend Chris to the Hotel California. I wasn't planning on drinking, so I took the Z4. I would be driving the 2 of us there and back. It helps me resist temptation.

"Alright mate, so I'm thinking we should stick together tonight." He told me as we stood at the bar. He was cradling a desperado, his second, as he had one at his house.

"Yeah, works for me. So you not planning on picking some girl up then?" I asked. He shrugged and laughed.

"Hey, dude, what happens, happens." He told me. I snorted. It was so typically chris.

"Man ho." I told him and he laughed again. We headed to one room were there was some music blaring and sat on a raised platform in some chairs. We just listened for the first few minutes before he leaned over.

"So, Dude, hows you and Steph going?" he asked.

"Really good. How about you and that 26 year old?" as far as I knew that was his last girlfriend. He shrugged.

"Broke up last week." He told me nonplussed as he watched 2 girls dancing. They kept glancing over and whispering to each other. I finished my coke as he finished his beer.

"Round 2?" I asked him. He nodded and we went and got another round before returning to our seats. We mainly sat listening and making comments every now and again. We got our third round, soon followed by the fourth. At around 10 Chris got up and went to talk to the girls eyeing us up. After a few moments he came back over with the 2 following and one sat next to him and the other next to me.

"Hey, I'm daisy." The girl next to me introduced. She was a tall girl with black hair wearing a black corset and skirt and New Rocks.

"Hey, I'm Dave. I assume Chris here has introduced himself." I told her. She nodded and smiled at me.

"So, How are you Dave?" she asked as the other girl was talking to chris.

"I'm good thanks. And you?"

"Great now I'm with you." She said, giving me a funny look.

"Erm, I just want to make it clear I have a girlfriend." I told her. She pouted and looked to the other girl who was laughing at something chris had just said. The girl looked up and saw Daisy pouting. She stood and they went off and talked to each other before coming back up and talking with chris primarily. I stood and went back to the bar for another coke. As I stood there I was surprised when I looked to my right and saw someone standing next to me I hadn't seen since I was 8. "Uncle Mark?!" I exclaimed. He looked up shocked.

"Do I know you?"

"Its David." I told him. He looked shocked and shook my hand, slapping me on the back, and beaming.

"David! How are you?!" he asked.

"I'm good. How about you? I didn't take you for a cali person." He laughed.

"I like the music, and theres a good band on tonight. So hows your mum and dad?" he asked. I looked at him sadly. He obviously hadn't heard. Then again, he hadn't talked to _any _of the family since I was 8. His wife said it was either her and the kids or his family.

"They… They passed away last christmass." I told him. He looked absolutely shocked.

"No! You mean, Carol is…" I nodded. He started crying.

"Why didn't mum tell me?" He asked me.

"She tried. You never answered your phone for her." I told him sadly.

"I have to go. You still live at the same house?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah. Same number as always. Come round any time if you need to talk." I told him, sadly. I gave him a quick hug before he turned and left, seemingly only half paying attention to his surroundings. I was sorry he had found out this way here and now, but it was his own fault, really. I got my drink and went back to my seat watching chris flirt. After a few more minutes he led me outside so he could smoke. It was cold, but not overly so. I hung around until around 3 am when the club shut and drove chris home after a rather… boring… night.

Again the week passed rather quickly. College was going fine and I was doing much better than usual in my studies. I got a call from Steph on Thursday to make sure I was coming down this weekend (in other words she was reminding me) which amused me. As if I'd forget! And that same night James brought the Ford back. I gave him a lift home and he was thanking me incessantly as I dropped him off and went back, filling it up on the way. I took it to college on that Friday, parking in the Teachers car park for the half hour I was in, and when I came out a number of people were crowded around it and looking around, presumably for the owner.

I restrained the urge to laugh as I got in and started the engine, especially with the dumbstruck look of everyone. I had my usual duffel bag in the passenger seat and headed straight down to London, with some stereotypical driving tunes on the radio, such as route 66. I didn't stop and arrived outside her building with a number of people watching me. As soon as I arrived and parked I noticed Steph running through the crowd. As soon as I stepped out and closed the door she flew into my arms and kissed me deeply. I kissed her back and held her tightly to me. It lasted almost 3 minutes before we broke apart and I put her down. "I missed you." I told her. She smiled and kissed me again more gently.

"I missed you more. So this what you wanted to show me?" she asked, gesturing to the car.

"Partly. Nice, right?" I asked and she nodded.

"I'm surprised you could afford it."

"Yeah, it's a proper gas Guzzler." I told her. "But it's a really nice car." I finished with a grin. "Now, how about we head inside and you tell me how school's going?" I grabbed my bag from the passenger side and she slipped a parking pass into the windscreen. Some security guys came over and seemed to take extra care in defending my car from anyone approaching it. I thanked them and gave them each £20. they nodded in thanks of their own as Steph and I headed to her dorm holding hands. I stroked my thumb across the back of her hand as we walked.

"So how have you been?" I shrugged.

"Not bad, Love. Bit boring. There isn't much to do with everyone away at university, so for once i'm doing ridiculously good aswell. I've also decided to re-decorate the house." I told her. She looked at me with a surprised grin.

"You, decorate?" I shrugged.

"Sometimes. I still have to decide between a performance career or design career as well, but I think its going to be the first. I like music, but I want it to be more a hobby than a job so I keep liking it. As such I've started looking at Universities. Now that will probably hard when we're both going to uni." I told her and she pouted and nodded. She unlocked her door and stepped in, leading me into the kitchen where the others were having a debate about what was better, football or Rugby. The majority was saying football, but Johns Twin Lucy was saying Rugby.

"I think football."

"I think footballs more fun to watch." They looked at me shocked. "But Rugby is much more fun to play." I finished. They beamed and greeted me.I kept my arm around Stephs waist and we sat with her on my lap as the debate continued. It was really nice to just sit there quietly watching the others argue with only the occasional input from myself as I held my girlfriend.

Around 10 we went to bed, both of us quite tired after an early rise and late sleep the night before. We just lay in our underwear face to face. I brushed a strand of hair out of her face as she rested her head on the pillow and she smiled at me.

"I definitely missed you. Whens half term?" she asked me.

"Next week."

"You coming down to stay the week?" she asked. I thought about it but shook my head.

"Maybe from Wednesday on, but I'm going to go visit andy and Dave in bangor." I told her. She nodded. "Heavy workload?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Sometimes. But its gotten easier now I'm used to it. I already have everything done this weekend so it's just you and me." She told me. I smiled and kissed her forehead before yawning. "We had better go to sleep." She told me. I nodded and just kept looking in her eyes until finally we both succumbed to it.

I woke up still facing her and she was watching me as I cracked my eyes open. As soon as they were she scooted closer to me. "Morning, love."

"Morning." I replied. She kissed my chest and we just lay there holding each other. We hardly moved until Stephs stomach rumbled at 1 o'clock. I grinned and she stood, blushing, and headed to the shower. I lay there with my head on the pillow watching her disappear into the bathroom in her white lace underwear. I then stared at the ceiling for 10 minutes before I heard the shower turn off and the door open. Steph stepped out holding a towel around herself.

"I… forgot my clothes." I laughed and grabbed my own, heading into the shower, kissing her on the cheek on the way.

As usual the weekend shot by as did the following week and before I knew it I was driving down to Bangor to visit Dave and Andy. I gave Andy a call as I arrived and he came out to meet me with a parking pass. I was going to stay in his room, on the floor, not with him in his bed. I greeted him with the typical handshake and back slap. I hadn't even talked to him from a week before they left until about 2 weeks ago because of Jess blaming me for an argument the 2 had had. It made things easier, but Jess had dumped him 2 weeks ago. He still seemed pretty out of it. Then again, they had been going out for over a year, and living together for half of that.

"Nice car." He told me, nodding towards the GT. I grinned.

"I know. I'll let you take it for a spin sometime." I told him. He gave me a rare smile.

"Cool." I nodded and he grabbed my bag from me.

"So been keeping up with running?" I asked him.

"Not recently." Again, I nodded and opened my mouth to ask how he was. "And i'm doing alright." I grinned at how easily he read me. "How about you?"

"I'm doing good. Had a scare with me and Steph about 3 weeks ago, but alls fine now." He nodded and used an electric key card to get into his building. It was more high tech than Steph's. He led me up the stairs. "So, fancy going clubbing tonight?" I asked him. He looked at me amused.

"You haven't changed a bit." I shrugged and grinned.

"And you expected me to? I figure Steph likes me for me, why change?" he laughed.

"Typical. And yeah, sure." Again, he used his card to let us into the dorm. When we entered Dave stepped out one of the rooms and greeted me, and I was taken round and introduced to the roommates.

"So you're the one who turned up with the GT?" one of them asked me, a girl named Monique. I grinned and nodded.

"Nice, isn't it?" she snorted and looked to the other 2.

"So annoying! How come your hot rich friend is taken?!" she asked. I snorted.

"So, having fun?" I asked andy as we sat on an upper balcony watching people dancing. We were mainly keeping an eye on the girls to check they were alright.

"Yeah. You?" I nodded.

"Why don't you go down and dance with the girls?" I asked him. He snorted.

"You know I don't dance."

I made a minimal gesture to the girls to come drag andy out to dance and saw a vague nod from them. Next thing I knew they were dragging andy off and somehow getting him to dance. I suppose the 10 pints id been giving him helped. I watched amused as he started to dance with a group of random girls before quickly looking back to Monique and Nicole. Nicole seemed to be looking around for Monique confused. I glanced around and saw her looking panicked as she was being led away by a man standing behind her. I caught a flash from something when the lights hit them and started running towards them.

I reached the exit in 20 seconds and shot out of the door, just in time to see them slip into an alley nearby. I glanced around the corner and saw the man holding a knife and forcing Monique to take off her clothed. She reluctantly started removing her shirt and I glanced around. As I did I noticed a loose brick in the building I was hiding behind and pried it away. I hefted it and just checked its weight and glanced again. Her shirt was off and she was reaching to her skirt. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I only had one shot. I turned the corner and as fast as I could I threw the brick. I hit the man in the chest and there was a wet crack as he screamed in pain. Monique ran to the alley exit and I was about to follow when I noticed the man trying to grab her while cradling his ribs. I jumped between the 2 as I heard 2 people screaming 'Police!' and turned my back to him. I saw Monique still running as I felt a sharp pain in my back as the knife was plunged in and pulled out and felt my legs go from under me as I screamed.

I felt the knife slip out and in two more times before there was a loud bang and something heavy dropped on top of me. I felt a sharp pain around the centre of my back and I couldn't seem to move my lower body. I heard a large crowd around me and a number of screams and I turned my head to look up. I saw people from the club at the entrance of the alley and I tried to drag myself towards them. I groaned in pain as I dragged myself away from the criminals body and towards the group, stopping by the police officers who gasped as they saw me and were immediately on their radio's.

"I need an ambulance ASAP at the Round club. There had been a victim of multiple stab wounds!" One officer stated, kneeling next to me and removing their jacket. The placed the jacket over my shoulders and put preassure on my back. I screamed in pain and I felt my phone go off in my pocket. The officer picked it up.

"Hello, who is this?... And who are you trying to call?... David… I am afraid your boyfriend has been the victim of a very serious crime… I cannot answer that question… Ok." They held the phone to my ear.

"Dave?! Dave?!" Steph was screaming down the phone.

"Hey… Love." I moaned through the pain.

"Love, what happened?!"

"Nothing much… stabbed…. Don't really know how many times…" I told her.

"Oh, love! I am coming down to bangor immediately!" She told me. I could hear a rustling in the background.

"How, love?" I asked. "No… ride… besides, you have… Lessons." She was sobbing as she started screaming at me.

"I don't care! I cant go to lessons while you might die!"

"Love, if… you… insist call… your parents… or someone." I gasped, getting fainter. "Hun… I'm getting weaker…" I told her. Her sobbing increased further and I heard a flurry of voices and bangs in the background. _'Steph?! Whats going on?!' _

"Dave's been Stabbed! I need to get to Bangor, Now!" she screamed. "Hun, don't black out! Fight! Fight it, for me!"

"Cold…" I muttered. I heard sirens faintly and the police telling me to stay with them as Andy and the girls got to the front of the crowd. I looked up again weakly and Saw Monique with her shirt back on, the three of them fighting to get through to me.

"Hun! Don't you dare leave me! I love you! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"I love you." I whispered to her as she hung up. I dropped my head to the floor, hitting my head but hardly noticing anything. I felt the coat being removed, and was getting colder every minute. "so… so cold…" I said, shivering.

"Hold on! We have you!" I assumed it was the paramedic. I felt them pressing areas of my back gently and screamed. They lifted me onto a gurney and into the ambulance. Andy jumped in next to me and he sat staring at me shocked as the paramedics did what they could. It could have been a minute or a day to the hospital, I had no idea and it was done in a flash. I was being rushed into the hospital on the gurney and through the halls. Before I knew it I was in a bright room and was given something to make me black out.

I woke up at 3 in the afternoon, according to a quick glance at a nearby clock. I tried to sit up but my legs barely responded. I panicked slightly and started trying harder and harder to get my legs to move, getting them maybe a foot off the bed before exhausting myself. Suddenly a group of people rushed in. At the front of the group was Steph, her hair a mess and tears flowing down her face as she ran up and hugged me tightly. I gasped as pain shot through my back and she was pulled away as a doctor examined my back.

"You didn't tear the stitches, but you have to be more careful." She started sobbing as I stared at the doctor wide eyed.

"Am i…?" I said, trying to ask if I had been crippled.

"No. The knife scraped some nerves and until it heals you will only have restricted movement. It means maybe 6 months of physical therapy before you could walk again." They told me. I stared wide eyed.

"Seriously?" they nodded and Steph grabbed my hand and lay her head on my chest crying as I stared upwards in shock.

"On the bright side it is only temporary." They told me. I shook myself out of it when I heard a sob and squeezed Steph's hand, bringing my other to brush her tears away.

"Oh love!" she exclaimed, holding my hand to her cheek. I pulled her towards me so her face was just inches from mine.

"I told you you should have stayed at uni." I told her. She scowled.

"I couldn't just sit there when my boyfriend could be dying!"

"So what, you took a taxi?" she looked away and I stared wide eyed. "You took a taxi from London?! That must have cost a fortune!" she shrugged.

"To me you're worth it!" she yelled. I brushed her cheek again and stared deeply into her eyes before nodding.

"Thank you. I love you." She lowered her head so her forehead was resting against mine and she closed her eyes, almost in relief.

"I love you too." She whispered. There was a cough from my other side and I turned reluctantly to see James, Helen, Andy, Dave and their roommates. At the front was Monique.

"Steph, right?" Steph nodded. "I just want to say that you are the luckiest girl in the world. You're boyfriend saved me last night… he… he's a hero." She told her. Steph smiled weakly at her.

"Trust me, he's much more than that." There was a brief silence before Monique nodded and turned to me.

"I cant thank you enough. If it wasn't for you…" She started crying.

"I don't mean this to be rude, but I would have done it for anyone. I'm not usually heroic, but last night… I couldn't let that happen." I told her. She smiled weakly and ran out the ward. Nicole smiled and followed and Andy stepped forward.

"Mate… i… I should have been there. I should have been there to help." He told me. I grabbed his arm.

"No problem mate. Lets just say it's your turn next time?" I told him jokingly. He snorted and nodded, a few tears of his own escaping.

"Deal." He told me, stepping back and following the girls. Dave then stepped forward.

"Well, I wasn't there, and I'm sorry. But I am prouder than you know to call you my friend right now." He told me. I smiled and thanked him and he turned and left after a nod. Finally it was just me James, Helen and Steph. Helen was crying but smiling at me, and james was smiling gently.

"That was a brave thing you did last night, son." He told me. I grinned.

"Maybe." I told him with a shrug, wincing slightly.

"No maybe. You're a real life hero." He told me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that I am proud of you." I started crying myself and wrapped my arms around Steph tightly.

"Thank you." I choked. Suddenly there was a large amount of noise coming up the corridor and before I knew it a doctor entered arguing with a number of men and women.

"He has only just woken up! Cant you at least wait?!" he was yelling at them.

"Mr Allen! Are you feeling up for an interview?!" one of them yelled. I was absolutely shocked and pushed myself up on the bed with a wince so the wall was holding me up.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Mr Allen, I am a representative of the BBC." There were similar statements but with other TV channels. I stared at them shocked and shook my head.

"But why do you want me?" I asked.

"You're a hero! You risked your life last night for someone you don't even know!" they exclaimed.

"I did what anyone would do!" Steph squeezed my hand and I looked at her curiously.

"You should do it love." She told me, smiling. "You deserve something for all this." I stared at her wide eyed and closed my eyes taking a deep breath as I turned back to them. They were holding their breath, obviously awaiting my answer. I nodded and suddenly there were a number of camera's surrounding us. I grabbed Helens hand and James put his back on my shoulder in a show of support as steph leant against me and I kept my arm around her waist.

"Mr Allen, what exactly happened last night?" One of them asked.

"Erm… I went to a club with my friends… There were four of us, me, andy, Nicole and Monique. Andy and I were keeping an eye on the girls when I got them to take andy up to dance. I was watching him dance and relax for the first time in a couple of weeks and when I looked back to the girls Nicole was looking around. I glanced round and saw Monique being led out the club by a man, and I saw a flash when the lights hit them. I thought she was in danger, so I sprinted after them and saw them slipping into an alley. I followed and saw the man forcing Monique to undress. I checked for a weapon to help and pried a loose brick from a nearby building and threw it at the attacker. Monique ran with the distraction, and I jumped between the 2 when I saw him going after her. I felt a sharp pain in my back followed by a couple more and then a heavy weight fell on me after a bang. I pulled myself out from under the man and towards the crowd, and was brought here." I told them.

"What brought you to risk your own life for this girl youd met only hours before?" they asked.

"I would have done it for anyone." I told them, wide eyed. "Wouldn't you?" some of them beamed at me, as did Steph and her parents.

"A noble sentiment. So what are you going to do now?"

"Now? I'm going to recover and spend time with my girlfriend. Apparently its going to take about 6 months of physio to regain the use of my legs or something." I told them.

"Thank you." The camera's turned away and the reporters thanked me and congratulated me, hailing me a hero and other such things as they left. It happened so fast I was a bit confused. I sat on my bed staring ahead with a frown when Steph giggled at me.

"You're cute when your confused." She told me. I snorted.

"Thanks, hun." She nodded and kissed me. We just sat there as I talked to her parents and they left us to go get some coffee after a short time. My dinner came around 5 and Steph insisted on spoon feeding me. Not that I minded, but it was a bit weird. Nice weird though… "So what about your lessons tomorrow?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I'll call and tell them what happened. They'll understand." I nodded.

"Thanks hun." She gave me a look as if to say 'for what'. "For coming. For being here when I woke up." She smiled and nodded. The doctor came into the ward and turned on the TV with a smile. We watched confused as James and Helen re-entered and sat to watch. The music for BBC New came on.

"Hello. Tonight on BBC news, are mobile phones become the top priority for pick-pockets? A soldier has been killed in Iraq, and the death of famed author, John Jacobs. However, our main story tonight is about a young man from Merseyside. Special correspondent Trisha Goodman, reporting live from Bangor in wales." The TV changed to a shot of the club I had been at the night before surrounded by police.

"Good evening. Last night, this club was a scene of the usual fun and carefree attitude of a university town. A young man came here with the plan of having a good time and leaving with a good memory. Instead he has ended up in hospital after preventing a vicous attack on a young woman he had met just hours earlier. This is what he had to say." The shot changed to a shot of me in my hospital bed in the hospital gown with Steph leant against me and her parents standing beside me in a show of support.

"You look beautiful." I told steph and she blushed. The one on TV still had her ruffled hair, heavy bags, and large tear streaks down her face. She looked a mess, but I thought she was still breathtaking.

The Me on TV explained exactly what happened and my answer to the question of why I did it before going back to the reporter outside of the club. "The young man is a hero, and shockingly his story is completely true and unembellished. With me I have the young woman he saved and the young mans friends." The camera turned to show Monique, Andy, Dave and Nicole. "What happened?" The woman asked Monique.

"I had been dancing, and we had just dragged andy up when I started dancing with this guy. The next thing I knew he had me at knife point and led me out the club saying if I did anything he'd kill me. He took me in that alley and… and he… He told me to remove my clothes, or else. I had taken my shirt off when he stumbled, and I didn't even think, I just ran. I didn't notice who it was who had saved me at first, I just ran to the club screaming and people started flooding out. I heard a gunshot and turned to see the man collapse on top of Dave, which is when I realized what had happened. He saved me…" she whispered. The woman nodded and turned to andy.

"I just wish I was there to help rather than off dancing. I should have been there." He said simply, and Nicole and Dave Nodded.

"Due to his actions one young woman was saved from a terrible fate. He will spend the next 6 months in a wheelchair due to the result of three stab wounds inflicted by the now dead attacker before he was stopped by the police. He is a hero and deserves much more than a pat on the back in this one reporters opinion." The shot went back to the studio.

"Thank you Trisha. The next story…" the doctor turned off the TV and held a pad and pen out to me.

"Mr Allen, I was hoping you could give me an autograph for my 16 year old daughter? Her name is Yvonne." I gave him a simple autograph saying 'Yvonne, stay safe, Dave allen' which seemed to make the doctors day and he left, telling the others visiting hours would finish in an hour. Steph frowned but nodded and I sat with her in silence again until she had to leave. I went to bed quite early with nothing better to do.

I woke up at 9 the next morning, just in time for a bowl of Porridge with some sugar and a cup of coffee. The doctors then handed me a clipboard. "Alright, Dave, you are free to go. We have a wheelchair here for you, which has already been paid for by the Montgomery's, if you'll just sign this…" I took the clipboard and signed. I was then helped into the Wheelchair and they started pushing me down the corridors towards what I assumed to be the exit. "Now, you will have to get a check up every week until your local doctor tells you otherwise, and you will have to use your lower body as much as possible until you regain full motor functions." I nodded as the Exit came into view and my friends all stepped forward, with James taking control of the wheelchair and Steph holding my hand as I was pushed to the car.

When we reached James and Helens mini-van Dave and Andy lifted me in, telling me it was their way of helping after the other night. I could see they needed to do something so let them and thanked them afterwards. The girls kissed my cheek and hugged me as James loaded the wheel chair into the back next to my stuff, and I passed him the keys to the ford. "Can you drive that back for me?" I asked him. He nodded and passed Helen the keys to the Mini-van. "Andy will show you where it is." I told him and he nodded. We went to the dorms first and waited for them to arrive, which they did after 15 minutes. James then climbed into the ford and pulled up behind us, waving at us to say he was ready. I wound down the window. "Guess you'll have to wait for that test-drive mate." I called.

"Maybe next time!" he yelled back. I grinned and waved.

"Have some fun for me!" He laughed.

"Typical!" Finally, we set off and I rolled the window up with a sigh, leaning my head against the window.

"Whats up love?" Steph asked. I shrugged.

"Its just weird, not being able to move my legs. And it was a kind of holiday. Too bad it only lasted about 1 night." I told her. She sighed.

"Look on the Brightside. You did something someone will always remember in that one night. You saved her. And you're alive. That's all that matters now." I nodded and kissed the palm of her hand.

"What would I do without you?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Probably sit at home on your X-box or the TV." She laughed. I snorted and nodded.

"Probably." I agreed. There was a pause. "So when you going back to Uni?"

"Next week." She told me straight away. "Now stop asking, or I'll think you're trying to get rid of me!" she joked.

"Never, love." I told her in all seriousness and she smiled and kissed me.

We pulled up outside my house an hour later and surrounding it were a load of people holding up signs and cheering. Helen grabbed the wheelchair and placed it next to the car door as John pulled into the drive and got out the ford, helping me into it. The cheering increased tenfold when I was helped out and came into view and I nervously waved as I saw signs being held up by a number of women saying 'will you marry me'. I pushed myself towards the door and pulled my keys out my pockets, unlocking it. I got Johns help to lift me inside and we all rushed in, closing the door behind us. I dropped my rucksack in the hall and tried to wheel myself into the kitchen, but the wheelchair was too big. I tried a couple of times but none worked.

I scowled as James came to help but shrugged him off and went to the bottom of the stairs. I couldn't be bothered with the wheelchair and pushed myself onto my stomach on the floor. "Dave!" Steph exclaimed rushing forward.

"Its alright love. I'm just going the toilet." I told her. I dragged myself up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door and did my business. I managed to flush and wash my hands before getting myself downstairs. When I did I noticed a number of suitcases had replaced my bag in the hall. Standing in front of me were the 3 with their arms crossed. "Whats going on?" I asked.

"You're coming to live with us." Helen told me stoically. I raised my eyebrows as if to say 'oh really'. "You cant even get around in here. You cant get into the kitchen. You need help." I scowled.

"I can do everything fine." I started dragging myself to the kitchen, which felt really derogatory.

"Dave, don't do this! You know you need help!" Steph cried. "I cant stand seeing you like this!"

"Like what? Crippled?" I asked, surprised she had said that.

"No! You are not helpless! Far from it! All your doing right now is demeaning yourself by doing this! You need help! My parents are offering it! Please, let them help!" She begged.

"But I can do it!" I whined.

"No you cant! Not right now! Please, love!" she gave me that pleading look and I sighed. "You cant drag yourself everywhere!" I closed my eyes to restrain my emotions and turned to face them. I looked at their pleading faces one at a time before sighing again and nodding.

"Alright. This once." Steph nodded and I was helped back into the wheel chair. They took my suitcases out to the Minivan before I tossed them the X6 keys. I then turned to James. "Ford or Z4?" He didn't answer. "Its not like I'm going to be using them at the moment. Just until I recover. Ford or Z4?" I asked.

"Z4. Its more fuel efficient." I nodded and tossed him the keys. He went and took the suitcases to the X6 instead which Helen would be driving and Helped me into the back seat with my wheel chair in the back again before getting in the Z4 and heading home. They left the Minivan at mine, and when we got to there house there was blissful silence. At least, for about 10 minutes before my phone started ringing. I answered and saw it was my Nan and granddads home.

"David! Thank god you're alright! My Nan exclaimed.

"Hi Nan. I'm alright. You cant get rid of me that easily." I told her.

"Don't joke! You could have died!"

"But I didn't. Nan…" she was muttering something about irresponsible teens. "Nan! Are you still doing Sunday dinner?"

"Of course!" she replied, as if the thought of not doing it was insulting.

"Well, is it alright if I bring 3 friends with me? Its Steph and her Parents. I'm going to be staying with them until i'm all sorted."

"Yes that's fine. Come round whenever you like!" she exclaimed.

"Alright. I'll see you later, alright?"

"I'll see you later. Thank god you're alright!" she hung up and I turned to the others. They were all looking at me bemused.

"Erm… fancy a Sunday dinner later?"

So here we were in the X6 at 5 o'clock and driving to prestburry Close in Prenton to go to the usual Sunday dinner for what was left of my family. We had a couple of cars following us since the house filled with papparazi for some reason, and when we finally pulled up outside my family rushed out the house recognizing my car. The others stepped out and James grabbed my wheelchair, placing it so I could lower myself into it. I thanked him with a smile and pushed myself towards my family with Steph walking beside me and her parents on either side of me. My family rushed up to meet me, and before I knew it I had been engulfed in a hug by nanny lucy, followed by nanny ellen, followed by aunty Carolyn, and surprisingly my cousin Rebecca who never usually gave me a hug. After them my granddad gave me a light hug and patted my shoulder, my Uncle Graham shook my hand, and my cousing Adam gave me a hug and slapped my shoulder. I hissed slightly when it jarred my back, but no one noticed apart from steph who frowned and took a step closer resting a hand on my shoulder.

"What have you gone and done now?" Grandad asked me. I shrugged and grinned.

"Ah, just a few scratches." I replied. They gave a snort as one, but obviously didn't want to. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Steph, Her dad James, and her mother Helen. Steph's my girlfriend." I told them. They smiled and greeted them, shocking Steph by hugging her, and just shaking the other 2's hands. "Now that's over with, I don't suppose we could go inside? It's quite cold out here." There was a flurry of activity as I got to the door and James helped me over the step and in, which I thanked him again for, and I maneuvered myself over to the kitchen where the usual smell of lamb, gammon and chicken filled the air.

I was instantly handed a J2O in my usual glass. "Drink love?" I asked Steph. She nodded. "Theres wine, lemonade, J2O… Beer." She made a funny face when I said beer.

"Could i… have a glass of wine please?" she asked my Nan who smiled and nodded.

"Red, white or Rose?"

"Rose please." She nodded and poured a glass for Steph who took it and started sipping. "Thank you."

"How about you James, Helen?" They both nodded.

"white for me please." Helen asked at the same time James asked for a beer. My granddad got the beer and my Nan got the wine and soon everyone was sat with drinks. We were down one chair, so as usual steph sat on my lap, obviously feeling slightly awkward doing so in front of my family. I grinned and squeezed her waist lightly.

"So what exactly happened?" My aunty Carolyn asked.

"Well, its not as big as it sounds…" I started and Steph snorted. They shot her a confused look.

"He's being modest." She stated simply. "From what the girl he saved told me Dave here stopped the man raping her by throwing a brick at him and knocking him back. When the man went to attack the girl Dave jumped in the way and took three stabs to the back, one fraying some of his nerves in his spine. He wont have full motor functions for about 6 months according to the doctors." She glared at me as if to say 'don't you dare down play this' and I shrugged and grinned before nodding to say yes that is what happened.

"How could you be so stupid?!" My nanny lucy asked.

"Pardon?" Steph replied, shocked.

"Putting himself in danger like that! He could have died!"

"But he didn't! He saved that poor girl! He's a hero and you ask him how he could be so _stupid?!_" I squeezed her again to calm her and glared at my Nan.

"Nan, I love you, I really do, but that was a stupid question to ask. To quote Harry potter it is better to do what is right than what is easy." I told her, holding the glare for a few extra seconds until she shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, personally I think congratulations are in order." My granddad said, holding up his beer. "To Davey! The family Hero!" everyone laughed and gave me the toast breaking the tension and soon there was a flood of conversation that grew to include Steph and her parents. Every now and then I would move in such a way that my back would be in pain, but I took some pain killers when that happened and the throbbing would soon die down.

Dinner was ready at 5:30 as usual, and it was usually my job to dish it up, but my Aunty Carolyn and Nan did it this time leaving me to just dish out some meat. I turned to Steph and her folks as I grabbed a plate. "Something critical you should know. Its pretty much a free for all. Take what you can while you can." I told them. The family nodded with huge smiles on their faces and they grabbed plates of their own. In my wheelchair I could see over the counter, but when I tried to reach up to grab some of the meat my back spasmed in pain. I hissed loudly and dropped my plate, which luckily only landed in my lap. There was silence as I took deep breaths and tried to ignore the pain. I sat back and closed my eyes, trying again more slowly, but it was stretching my wounds, so I stopped just under the counter top.

I turned to steph and fought back a sense of hoplessness. "Love, I don't suppose…" She nodded and took my plate, putting a bit of each on, including a chicken wing. I thanked her and squeezed her hand before rolling myself into the dining area. I was lucky in that they had wider and more open spaces between their rooms than my house. At the table it was just like I was sitting on a normal chair, so I wasn't too bothered as I reached for the mash potatoes while the others filed in. I put some on my plate, followed by a couple roasties, some Broccoli, and a Yorkshire pudding, and pouring gravy and mint sauce on it. Everyone sat and I turned to go get another J2O.

"Where you going?" My Nan asked me. Everyone was watching me.

"I'm just getting another J2O." I told her. They made to get up. "Its alright, I got it." She nodded reluctantly and I rolled myself into the kitchen. I grabbed a J20 from the counter and immediately realized a problem. I wheeled over to the counter and after a moments thought I pushed myself up with one arm and reached for the bottle opener with the other. As I did I slipped, dropping the bottle opener and falling to the floor with a gasp of pain. There was a flurry of activity as I slowly lifted myself back onto my wheelchair, getting help off Uncle Graham and James half way there.

"Why didn't you ask for some help?" Steph asked me sadly. I winced as the wheelchair rubbed my back.

"I forgot the bottle opener was up there. Thought I could reach it." She sighed and turned me to face her.

"Love, you cant do everything on your own anymore. Not at the moment. It's alright to ask for help. We don't mind." She told me. I looked down at my hands.

"I know, Love, but it's going to take some getting used to. I'm going from living on my own to needing someone to pick up something that's 3 feet in front of me." I told her, and she sighed. She handed me the bottle opener and I grabbed my J2O, shaking it and opening it, and holding it between my legs as I wheeled back into the dining area. The meal was silent until about half way through where my uncle started telling us about one of his learners from the day before. Thank god for my uncle.

We stayed and talked until 8 when I started feeling more and more tired, which the others all noticed and we made our excuses and headed out to the car.

"If you need anything, just call." They all told me and I nodded with a tired smile.

"Thanks guys. I'll see you in the week."

"See you in the week." My grandad replied with a nod as I was helped into the car. I let my head fall slightly to the side and my eyes droop as Steph sat beside me in the back. When we got back to hers I was again helped into the wheel chair and taken into the study where they had set up a bed for me earlier. James helped me strip down to my boxers, gasping as he saw my wounds for the first time, but I didn't have the energy to ask what they looked like. I lay on my stomach and he pulled the covers over me, and Steph lay next to me on top of the covers wrapping her arm around me.

"Steph?" I mumbled.

"Yes love?"

"Thanks." I said before falling asleep.

That night my sleep was plagued with nightmares. I was back in the alley being stabbed and as I collapsed Steph stepped foreward and scowled at me. "Why would I want to be with a cripple? You are worthless! You cant do anything yourself!"

"No!... You don't mean that! Please! Don't leave me!"

"I can do so much better than you, with some hideous scars on your back and unable to move!"

"Please, don't leave me! I love you!" I called out to her, but she laughed and turned. "Steph!" I sat straight up in the bed, screaming as my back tore open and was slick with blood. A light flashed on and steph was standing there.

"Dave?" she inquired I looked up at her, slightly delusional now from the blood loss which was still coming fast.

"Steph… I'm not a cripple. I can do stuff! Look!" I tried to stand but couldn't. "Please don't leave me! I can walk! Honest!" I kept trying to stand but couldn't and she reached over to rub my back. As she did she gasped and looked at her hand before screaming. There were 2 thuds and her parents were coming down the stairs as I curled up into a ball staring straight ahead and not really paying attention. "Don't leave… love you… please don't leave." I kept muttering as I rocked.

"Daddy! We need an ambulance! He's bleeding again!" She screamed. Helen rushed to the phone and dialed 999 as James tried to drag Steph away.

"Don't leave me…"

"I'll never leave you! I love you!" she was screaming as she fought against her dad. "Let me go! Dave!" she was screaming there was some knocking at the door which Helen answered and I kept rocking as Steph got away from James and knelt next to me, grabbing my head in her hands and forcing me to look at her. "I'll never leave you! I love you!" she exclaimed, crying her eyes out. She kissed me gently and I stopped rocking.

"You wont?" I asked, almost not believing. She shook her head and I closed my eyes, drifting off. "thank you." I said faintly, drifting off to sleep again. She slapped me.

"Don't you dare go to sleep!" she yelled as James stepped foreward with something and turned me onto my stomach. Steph gagged at the sight as he applied preassure and I started screaming and thrashing. Steph stepped forward and rested her hand on my shoulder and my thrashing calmed slightly but not a lot, and James was having trouble holding me down as the ambulance arrived.

I had to spend my entire half term in the hospital before they were satisfied there wouldn't be a repeat. They let Steph stay the first few nights as she was the only one somewhat able to calm me, and everyone visited at least once. I was released again on the Friday with instructions to take it easy and told I could go back to school on Monday. Joy.

The weekend passed in a blur and Steph went back to University on that Sunday. I gave her the money to re-pay her flat mates for the taxi, as well as her own money for transport and kissed her passionately before she got on the train. It was a sad goodbye knowing I probably wouldn't see her until Christmas. I went to the usual family dinner but was pretty downtrodden. James and Helen seemed to enjoy themselves. I was then taken back to their house for a nights rest before college the next morning.

I woke up at 8 and pushed myself into my wheelchair. Helen helped me up the stairs and into a bath that had already been run after I put my swimsuit on and helped me wash my hair. I felt like such a baby as she did, but was getting used to it as I didn't have the mobility yet to reach up to wash my hair without tearing my stitches. When I was done she helped me sit on the side of the bath and dry myself, and she did my back, gently dabbing my wounds until I was dry. I was led back downstairs and changed into my Jeans, brown shoes, a vest and my black shirt from my 18th, and I put a heavy grey jumper over it. I left it at that and rolled out to get my coffee and sipped it until half past when I was helped into the car and driven to college by Helen. It was a good thing she worked at home. She was a writer apparently.

When I arrived at college people were already staring because of the car. As Helen got out and placed my wheelchair for me more looks were shot our way, and as I lowered myself into it there was a clamour of people trying to get a better look at me. I put my bag in my lap, which had my Psychology folder, my books and scripts for theatre studies and my sketch book for art, and bid Helen goodbye as I pushed my chair into the halls. She watched me go sadly. As I rolled through the halls they were eerily silent for the number of people there, one was looking at me in awe or lust in some girls cases which was freaking me out. I struggled sometimes to open a door and push myself through, but luckily there were only 4 sets before my psychology classroom.

It was annoying how despite the people watching me not one came to help with any doors, instead preferring to watch me struggle. I checked my watch as I got through the final door and saw it was 10 past 9. I was late. I sighed in annoyance and pushed the final stretch, knocking on the door for Psychology. My teacher, Emma, Opened the door and looked at me, surprised. "David?" I nodded and she stepped aside to let me wheel in. I struggled to push myself forward as the door gave barely enough room for my wheelchair on its own, so I couldn't push the wheels. Luckily someone took pity on me and pulled me forward so Emma could close the door. "I didn't expect you to be in today."

"With how much trouble I had with doors I didn't expect to make it." I told her with a weak grin.

"Didn't you have anyone to help?" one of the girls I sat next to asked incredulously. I shook my head.

"Nope. Funny since what seemed like most the school was watching me." The entire class shook their heads.

"Anyway…" one guy said standing and starting to applaud. The rest of the class joined in as did Emma, and it went on for about 2 minutes, thoroughly embarrassing me. Just as they died down There was a knock on the door and someone stepped in. they glanced at me for a moment before turning to Emma.

"Erm… theres an emergency assembly at 11 in the Drama studio. The headmistress just told me to go round and tell everyone." The student said, glancing at me again. I sighed, and then started wondering what the assembly was about.

"Alright. Thank you." She told the person and they left after another glance, shutting the door. Emma turned to me again. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I for one am very proud to have you in my class. And well done." There was another smattering of applause as Emma's eyes lingered on me for a moment and she turned suddenly to the rest of the class. "Ok, before we were interrupted we were talking about Aversion therapy…" I got out my folder and started taking notes as the rest of the class kept glancing towards me. At 11 o'clock we had all packed away and were waiting to go in the drama studio, when I was approached by the principal.

"Mr Allen. It's an honour to meet you. Could I talk to you a moment?" she asked. I shook my head after a moments pause and pushed myself away from the crowd and my class. "Ok, I'm not sure if you have realized yet, but this Assembly is for you." I made to protest and she held up a hand to silence me. "Now, This assembly was specially requested by the Mayor as soon as you returned to school. The reason that it is now instead of when you first arrived is because firstly you didn't come and tell me you would be in today, and secondly, the mayor had to cancel a number of appointments before she could get here. We will have you on stage with us and make a short speech addressing the school if that's alright?" I closed my eyes to calm myself and nodded. "Wonderful. Now, come along and we shall get you onto the stage."

She pushed my wheelchair through the throng of students and into the drama studio and up a ramp onto a large black platform. On the platform were a number of seats and a microphone all set up. I was sat next to the microphone and the Principal went back to the entrance to keep an eye on the students. After a short period of time a woman and number of people all very smartly dressed stepped onto the stage as the number of students walking in was decreasing.

"Good morning David. Can I call you David?" I nodded.

"I prefer Dave." She smiled and nodded.

"Ok, Dave. Now, what this is all about is that the prime minister himself wants to recognize what you did, putting yourself in severe risk for a young lady. He would like to think that if his daughters were threatened in such a way someone like you would be around to help, and as such will be here momentarily. He will be awarding you with a medal for bravery above and beyond your position, and a sum of money as an award." I was surprised.

"Surely other people have done this before? Why aren't they this recognized?"

"You would be surprised. It is a dark world we live in, one where people prefer to stand back and watch than risk getting hurt themselves." I was appalled at the idea. "Now, your principal and everyone else had no idea the PM will be here." A number of police officers entered and stood around the edge of the assembled students. "Which is why she is surprised by the police escort. I will introduce him and he will then enter." I nodded and the Headmaster stepped forward.

"Good morning students. Now today we have a special honour being bestowed on one of our students, and as such I thought you all deserved to witness it. I am sure that over half term you all heard about what happened with our very own David Allen in bangor and how he saved a young girl from a vicous attack at great risk to himself. The mayor herself is here to present him with an award for his bravery. Please, a nice round of applause for Mayor Fairchild!" the students applauded politely and the mayor stepped up to the microphone. There were a number of camera's flashing.

"Good morning Students. Now I know you are now expecting me to present the award to this fine young man, but I am afraid that wont be so." There was confused murmurings. "Instead, A very influencial figure has taken time out of his schedule to come and commend this young man himself. May I present the Prime Minister, Jason Smith!" There were louder applause for him and the number of camera flashed increased tenfold. Even the principal looked shocked, as did all the teachers. The man stepped in. he was a slim man wearing a deep blue suit and pink tie with a white shirt. He had a shock of graying hair and a comfortable smile on his face as he waved and came up to the stage as Mayor Fairchild sat with the others. He stopped in front of the mic and looked out over the crowd before addressing them in his famed gruff voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you today as 2 things. First, I stand before you as a prime minister honoring a brave young man. Second, I stand before you as a father of 2 teenage daughters. This young man is an example to us all. We live in dark times, where people prefer to stand and watch as someone else is attacked rather than risk injury to help. This young man almost paid the ultimate price. Not even he himself knows how close he came to death, and if truth be told I have been informed by doctors at the hospital where he was treated in bangor that his heart actually stopped beating for a period of 30 seconds." The crowd gasped and I felt light headed. I had almost died. I mean, I had already thought that, but this made that thought much sharper and real. "If more of us were willing to do what this young man did then I know that we would be living in a much better world, and I for one would like to help him recover. In that respect, I would like to present him with this medal for bravery above and beyond his position." He took a medal as one person stepped forward and place it over my head. "I think you will agree with the definition of above and beyond when you take into account that this young man is a student who once lived on his own. Second, I would like to award him with this check for £50,000. Finally, I would like to make it known that if ever he struggles to find himself a job once he has recovered he is welcome into my families personal guard or the police or fire services." The crowd roared as I was handed the check and the PM stepped back, gesturing for me to take the microphone.

I pushed myself the short distance to it and tried to reach up to grab it, hissing lightly as I stretched too far. The PM Jumped forwards and lowered the stand for me and I nodded gratefully. "Well, I erm… I wasn't expecting this…" there was a bit of laughter. "At the start of the holiday I was just expecting to go visit my friends in bangor, and then go visit my girlfriend down in London. That night, I saw something and I couldn't let it happen, so I did what needed to be done. At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter nerd if it is a choice between what is right and what is easy I choose what is right." There was even more cheering here. I held up my hands for silence after a moment. "I don't agree with the prime minister or mayor Fairchild on a couple of things though." Instant silence and the PM and Mayor were frowning. "I don't think our world is as dark as they say. The problem is that the cases were people do nothing is probably more likely reported and therefore more public. I refuse to believe that I would be the only one willing to do what I did to prevent something as disgusting as rape or as despicable as murder. I like to believe that all of us are able and willing to do what I did. It is with that belief that I must refuse these awards." There were huge gasps from the crowd and I looked over them with sad eyes.

"I am not special. I am not a hero. I did what had to be done, and as the prime minister here said, almost paid the ultimate price. But if that is the price for justice, then I would gladly pay it again and again and again and expect nothing back. This world is so dark because we have to pay people to care." I turned to the PM. "Well, sir, you don't have to pay me. I may be a kid, but I care more than you seem to think. If it happened to anyone I would help again in a heartbeat." I turned and started pushing myself off the stage, having removed my medal and handing it back to the shocked PM. There was silence apart from the steady rustling of my wheels on the floor as I held my head up proudly. A girl stood and clapped once, hesitantly, followed by another and another. People started standing and applauding and then everyone stood and applauded as I left the Drama studio into the corridor. I pushed myself close to the wall and leant forwards, holding my head in my hand. I heard the door open for a moment and close again, but didn't look up.

"David?" It was my psychology/form teacher Emma. I looked up at her warily. She crouched in front of me so she was slightly below my head and rested a hand on my knee. "what you just did was a wonderful thing. I think I speak for everyone in this building when I say you deserve those awards more than anyone I can think of, and yet your reasons for saying no were flawless." I nodded.

"The world isn't as dark as they think." I told her stiffly and I started pushing myself towards the exit. I had to go and get a drink.

"Where are you going?" she called after me.

"Spar. I need a drink." I told her. She rushed after me and fell into step beside me. She shivered when we stepped outside and I looked at her with a raised eyesbrow, holding up my coat to see if she wanted to use it. She laughed.

"A hero and a gentleman. A rare thing indeed." She said, taking it thankfully and putting it on.

"So how were your holidays?" I asked as we approached the traffic lights.

"not as bad as yours. My partner and I split up, but apart from that all is good." I nodded.

"Fair does. How long were you dating for?" I asked.

"3 months." I nodded. It's the same with me and Steph. The lights changed to red and I crossed, pushing myself up the hill towards the spar. Emma held the door open for me and I nodded stiffly as I went to the drinks section. I looked and groaned when lucozade orange was on the top shelf.

"I don't suppose you could…?" I asked, gesturing to the drink.

"Oh, yeah, sure." She reached up and grabbed it, my boarding jacket rustling as it moved. She handed it down to me with a nod and I thanked her, heading to the checkout and taking out my wallet. The woman behind the counter looked at me sympathetically and ran the drink. It cost £1.20. I handed over 1.50 and went for the door, Emma again getting it for me and headed back to the college. I immediately realized a problem. I couldn't drink and push myself at the same time. I checked my watch. 10 minutes until my next lesson.

"I'm guessing we don't have to be back in psychology right now?" her eyes widened. After a moment she sighed and shook her head.

"No point now. Theres only 10 minutes." I nodded and stopped next to a bench near the back entrance to the college. I opened my drink and took3 gulps before lowering it, taking relief in how my mouth was no longer dry. I put the lid back onto the bottle and put it into my bag before rolling onto the small hill leading from the car park to the doors. Emma jogged to keep up and I stopped between the 2 entrances. "Well, I'll see you Thursday." I told her, turning and heading back to the drama studio for theatre. For the most part I ignored the Stares I was getting and again struggled to open and roll through doors, only this time a girl was kind enough to hold at least one open for me. I rolled into the drama studio 2 minutes early just as the musical theatre class finished.

As soon as I did I noticed the PM and Mayor were still there, along with the headmistress, although they didn't seem to have noticed me yet. The door closed with a bang and people turned to see me, lightly panting from the effort. The PM walked over to me with a small smile. "Ah David. Nice to see you again. And a very inspirational speech." He told me.

"I'm sorry if you feel I slighted you sir, I didn't mean to be rude, but I really do think your giving the general population the wrong end of the stick sometimes with the whole 'dark society, no one willing to help' stuff. And I couldn't accept that money. I have millions from my parents, along with monthly stipends from insurance companies for both them and my oldest brother and sisters, giving me about 5000 a month. Use that money to help people who need it." He sighed and nodded.

"I wish you had told me this before hand."

"Sorry sir, but I only found out what was happening moments before you were introduced." He nodded.

"Well, what about the medal?"

"Again, I don't think I did anything spectacular sir. So I don't really feel I deserve it." He frowned.

"Son, no matter what you think, you deserve something that requires some reward."

"I have my girlfriend sir. That's good enough for me." He tried to say something else but the mayor stopped him.

"Sir, we really need to go." He sighed and nodded.

"Well, if you ever want a job that part of the offer is still open, and we will pay for your physio." I nodded reluctantly and he left after shaking my hand with a smile to a nearby camera before leaving.

"Congratulations, Mr Allen." My headmistress said before leaving as well.

November passed quickly and I was getting both more excited and more nervous. I was more excited because steph was coming home on the 20th, and I was gaining some movement back in my legs, and I was nervous because for some reason Steph had only been calling me maybe twice a week or so, and when she did she sounded really bored about something or other and was always a bit monotonous.

So here I was, on crutches and standing in the train station waiting for steph. 5 minutes before her train was to arrive I got a text from John.

_Mate, you have to see this_

I was curious when a second text came, this time with a video clip. It had a time stamp on the bottom showing that it was from the night before and I saw the door open and Steph walk in scantily dressed pulling a guy behind her. He was similar looking to me but with black hair and slightly more built. His shirt was unbuttoned and he was obviously sober, with lipstick marks on his lips and cheeks. None on his chest as far as I could see though. I felt my heart drop as the pair disappeared into steph rooms. But maybe it was a rehearsal or something? I got another text with another video clip and started watching that.

This time, the time stamp said it was 2am just that morning. I watched as stephs door opened and the guy stepped out in the same clothes with a number of lipstick marks now on his chest and steph stepped into view holding her bedcovers around her. I felt my heart starting to break, but maybe they were just revising late and steph was cold? My heart shattered at the exact moment the train came to a stop in the station. I saw Steph stand on her toes and kiss the guy passionately, and the covers slipped showing just enough to show she had nothing on underneath. I fell to the ground and my phone cracked against the floor.

"Dave!" I looked up to see Steph beaming and running towards me. She made to hug me and I pushed myself back, away from her, wide eyed. She stopped. "Dave, whats up?" she asked me, concerned. I grabbed my phone and jumped to the start of the second clip. I turned my phone so she could see and stood. She watched, her own eyes widening and a few tears leaking out. "No! I didn't mean to! Honest! I love you!" I snatched my phone back as another text came, also from John.

_I'm so sorry mate. This has been going on for maybe a couple of weeks, but they were usually more cautious about who was in._

I was completely betrayed. I showed her the text and I started crying silently. "Why?" I choked just as I heard James coming over.

"Welcome home, hunny!" he called, waving. He saw me and steph crying and started running.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm so, _so _sorry!" she pleaded. I turned and started heading away towards a taxi strip.

"Dave! Where are you…?"

"Home!" I called back sourly to james. I forgot steph still had my phone. I didn't notice john take it off her or flick through the videos. I went to the nearest free taxi and got in. "32, stapleton Avenue, Greasby." I choked. The cabby nodded and set off. I noticed Steph running after me for a moment before we turned out of sight, eerily reminiscent of when we first split, only I could tell this one was going to be much more permanent.

It cost £25 to get home from the station, and I paid the taxi driver before realizing I didn't have my house keys on me, having left them with James and Helen. I started hobbling round the back and out onto the field, just heading in any direction away from here. People stared as I passed, recognizing me, but I ignored them. I went to Royden park and started heading around it. I got to the top of the huge hill I had sprinted up in the summer with andy and Dave and stared sadly down the slope. They would be home today as well. I sat on a small 6 ft cliff and put my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I sat like that crying until well after it had gone dark.

When I checked my watch it was 3 am. Considering I had sat down at 11 am, I had been there a long time. I pushed myself to my feet, almost falling over the edge, but regaining my balance. I saw flashlights through the trees, but ignored them and started back along the path towards the exit of the park. It took me half an hour to maneuver to it, and I started heading towards Andy's house. He probably wouldn't bother me and would let me stay over. He was a good friend. I heard voices calling for me, but again ignored them as I headed through the canopies and along the roads. The walk to Irby from royden park was usually about half and hour. Because of the crutches it took me over 2. it was starting to get light when I started the final stretch towards Cornelius drive, at about half 5 in the morning.

A car drove past me, but I paid no attention to it and just kept going. I stumbled through another set of woods, falling and cutting my legs, hitting my face, getting covered in mud and water when I fell into a small snow bank, and when I got to Andy's house at 7 I was absolutely exhausted and freezing. I hadn't used my legs so much since before Halloween. I headed up the drive and went to knock on the door, but lost balance and fell face first into it. I somehow managed to raise my arm and knock twice, and almost before I had finished the door was pulled open roughly.

"Dave! Where the hell have you been?!" He exclaimed, grabbing me under my arms and helping me in, shutting the door behind him. "You're freezing! And soaked!"

"Tell me about it." I breathed. He glared at me.

"Not a time for jokes! What the hell where you thinking?! We've had almost the entire Merseyside out looking for you! Where have you been?!"

"From 11 to 3 ish Royden park, and from 3ish to now walking here." I told him.

"It took you over 15 hours to get here from Royden?!" he exclaimed. I shook my head.

"Nope. Left at 3am." He pushed me down onto a couch, his parents sitting on the other. They started throwing blankets and the like on me.

"You idiot! You stayed in royden park for 16 hours in the snow and ice! What were you doing there?!"

"Sitting. Thinking. Crying." I stated simply. He sighed and my eyes started drooping. "I'm nackered. All right if I sleep?" I asked him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded and I let myself fall asleep.

I was woken up at 9 am the next day, having slept for over 24 hours. I must have been exhausted.

"I have to see him!" I heard someone yelling.

"Well the worst thing that could happen right now is he sees you!" Andy was yelling back. I grabbed my crutches and stood, heading towards the door. I poked my head around and blanked.

"Dave!" Steph was trying to push her way passed andy who looked at me relieved.

"You alright mate?" he asked, struggling to hold Steph back. I didn't answer, just stared at her. "Mate?"

"I need to get my keys from James, then I'm going home." I told him. Luckily I hadn't been taken out of my clothes as I headed to the door.

"You can't go out there." Andy told me, now trying to stop both myself and steph.

"And why not?"

"Because right now we don't think you can look after yourself."

"Mate, let me through right now." I told him sharply.

"No."

"I appreciate you letting me crash here, but I want to go home. I _need _to go home. I… I cant take company." I told him. He glared at me.

"I won't move." He stated.

I glared and pushed past him and out to the crowd. I ignored Steph as she grabbed my shirt and kept pushing my way through, acting as if she didn't exist. I saw James and Helen in their Mini-van and went up, knocking on the window.

"Hello, James. Got my house keys?" I asked him monotonously. He sighed and handed them over, along with my phone.

"Just so you know, you're always welcome at our house. And we are extremely angry at Steph for what she did to you." I didn't bother replying, not in the mood to be civil with anyone. I turned and started walking down the street. James started driving slowly next to me in his car. "Dave, don't be stupid! Let us at least take you home!" I ignored the people trying to talk or ask questions, and acted like steph didn't even exist.

Finally she stepped in front of me and wouldn't let me pass, and I refused to use force. "Get out of my way." I growled.

"No!" she cried.

"Steph, get out of my way, _now._"

"Haven't you done enough?!" Andy yelled at her. He went to push her but I blocked him with one of my crutches. Steph was crying and everyone was asking what had happened. "You stupid little whore! You were the one who cheated on him! The one who was sleeping with someone behind his back! You don't deserve to look at him!" Andy yelled.

"Enough." I barked. Andy looked taken aback. "She may have… May have…" I swallowed the lump in my throat unable to get the words out. "But at this very moment, idiot that I am, I still love her." The crowd was all glaring at Steph and a few girls were screaming obscenities. "I said, Enough!" I screamed. They immediately shut up as I lost control of my temper. "Get out of my way." I growled again, but she was too busy sobbing. "Either get out of my way or tell me what made you do it, but know that I will never forgive you." I hissed and she started sobbing.

"I'm sorry! There was so much preassure! My course was getting more and more intense, and I needed a release! Nothing seemed to be working! I got drunk one night and slept with him and it worked! It helped! You weren't there to help me!" I tried to control my temper and nudged her out of the way, tears streaming down my face.

"Never talk to me again." I hissed.

"Please! I'm sorry!"

"I said, **don't talk to me**!" I screamed at her. "I cant believe I love you! Stay out of my life!" I ran as fast as I can which was just a jog and was quickly making me tired, but I kept going, leaving Steph behind me. I reached the main road and jumped onto a bus without paying attention to where it was headed. Luckily for me it was going to greasby. I got off about 5 minutes from my house and walked slowly the rest of the way. I stopped at a local corner shop to grab some tinned food and the like to last me until Christmas and opened the door, stepped in, and locked it just as a load of cars arrived.

People crowded round the windows, sat on the drive, where James and Helen had already returned the cars, and there was a couple of people banging on the door. I ignored them all. I went into the front room and sat on the sofa much like I had the other night and cried for things lost. My phone was going off, but I ignored it. The only time I moved was to go and boil some soup for dinner. I ate and left the bowl by the chair, lying face down having gotten them fully reclined and going to sleep.

I stayed in the house without changing, washing and hardly eating or drinking. The only time I answered the door was when I had ordered a load of shopping from Tesco online. I had pretty much become a hermit. Christmass was the only day where I wasn't bothered by anyone, not even family, and that was the day I finally started coming to terms with everything. I started eating, showering and changing again, started my physiotherapy again, and every now and then I even answered the phone. On New Years eve I let Dave, andy, Matt and Monique, who was now Matt's girlfriend, in and talked to them. We stayed off the subject of Steph and they were all staying over.

When they all fell asleep I went into the kitchen and sat at the table looking sadly at a picture of Steph and me on that day we went ice skating in the summer. We were laughing as I held the ice pack to her ankle. I sighed, but didn't cry, and removed the photo, putting it into a box and sealing it with the others. In that box was absolutely everything that had something to do with her, primarily a shit load of photo's from whenever I visited or we went out in the summer. There were a surprising amount for only 5 months. I put them by the door and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning and Andy was making breakfast, eerily reminiscent of the day after my 18th. I almost expected Steph to walk in now. "Mate, the ford keys are there, could you do me a favour and take that box by the door round to Steph later?" he nodded and handed me some eggs.

"Sure thing mate. You coping alright?"

"Getting there. At least ive started looking after myself again." He nodded. We ate in silence and he drove the box to Stephs. When he returned he told me that she had apparently begged him to bring her back with him and seemed a bit emaciated, but I ignored the pang of sympathy. The guys went home a couple of hours later, leaving me on my own again, and my family came round for dinner that night.

They went on and on about how stupid I was being about her, but I ignored them. My Nan didn't let up even after all the others had.

"Nan, shut up." I said simply, finally having had enough.

"So you can hear me! Now stop acting like a stupid child! You were only going out 5 months! She obviously doesn't care about you, so why you seem to care about her I have no idea!" she exclaimed and I stiffened. The room went silent, apart from my Nan who kept ranting on.

"Lucy, shut up." Granddad chris barked. She glared at him but carried on after admonishing him. I stood stiffly.

"Get out." I ordered her, pointed a shaking finger at the door.

"Real mature!" she said before continuing.

"Get out, or I will throw you out!" she looked taken aback, realizing how serious I was.

"Surely not!"

"Out, NOW!" I yelled. She stood slowly, crying.

"What happened to you?!" She asked me, grabbing her coat and leaving, followed by everyone else. They were all glaring at me and shaking their heads at me. That just cost me my family.

From that day on no matter what I tried my family wouldn't talk to me. My friends tried to, but I was back to shutting everyone out again. Steph didn't go back to uni, and instead spent every day on my doorstep trying to get me to forgive her or let her in. it took over a month before she realized I wasn't going to talk to her. She had gone through a range of feelings, from guilt, to blaming me, to fury for not talking to her, to depression. According to James she was now completely depressed, and he was very annoyed, blaming me, so I had lost him as a friend. My mates had all gone back to university, sometimes someone from my theatre lesson would come round to rehearse the practical, and Emma was kind enough to collect my college assignments and bring them home for me. She was my confidant during these times.

I have to admit, these were the darkest time of my life. So much for the hero of bangor. Most times I was going to sleep or preparing dinner I contemplated how quickly it would take to bleed to death and how long before someone noticed. One evening, at the end of January I was sitting in the kitchen, holding a knife to my wrist, seriously considering it. Just one small slash, and no more pain, no more hurt, no more family ignoring me. Just cold, dark death. I was debating it in my head when Someone gasped and knocked the knife out of my hand, slapping me hard across the cheek.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Emma screamed.

"Contemplating suicide." I stated with a shrug.

"I could see that!"

"Then why ask?" I asked her glumly, standing and putting the knife away.

"Don't you dare push me away as well! You may feel like everyone is against you, but you have me!" she growled, grabbing my face in her hands. "And don't you dare scare me like that again!" I sighed and nodded, going back to preparing something to eat, just a simple lasagna. I put it in the oven for it to cook for 30 minutes and sat down at the Table. Emma sat next to me and put a load of paper in front of me, Taking another pile and putting it into her bag. "Alright, I am moving in." she told me after 10 minutes of silence.

"What?" I asked, completely taken by surprise.

"You heard me! Until I know you aren't suicidal I am moving in!" I closed my eye and took a deep breath, wanting to protest, but I really couldn't be bothered.

"Your already probably breaking a number of rules about student teacher relationships, emma. You could almost definitely lose your job for this one." I told her. She glared.

"If its between losing my job or losing my best friend I will lose my job. No more arguing." I slumped back in my chair and sighed again.

"Alright."

"Don't argue with me, I said…"

"I said alright, Emma." I told her tiredly. She looked mildly surprised.

"Oh… right… ok… good! Now, I'll be back shortly. I am going to go home and get some things." She stood stiffly and walked out the door, Emptying the drawers of any knives and the like as she went. I laughed lightly and she glared, quickly shutting me up. I watched as she left, locking the door behind her, and waited for the lasagna to finish. There was a ding from the over and I pulled it out, letting it cool slightly as I sat in the front room. I Had surpassed the doctors expectations now, no longer needing crutches to walk, but was still a bit tired, but they now reckoned it would only take a maximum of another month to be back to normal instead of another 3. I suppose that was good. Emma was right as well. I was stupid to even think about killing myself. I closed the curtains and turned the TV on, flicking on a film called Enchanted. It was quite nice, because it kind of showed me that even if you think she was, the girl your with my not be your soul mate. It meant that steph might not have been the girl for me even if she hadn't done… that.

Emma got back half way through the film lugging 3 suitcases behind her. I went and helped her take them up to what used to be my sisters room. I now had my parents room, although it had been re-decorated from cream to gold and emerald green. My sisters room had been changed as well, going from a yellow and pink to a warm yellow with a double bed and a TV on a desk. Emma seemed happy with it. I dished out dome Lasagna and we watched the rest of the movie eating it and making comments. It helped me relax a little bit and I was smiling the remainder of the night before we went to bed.

I was fully recovered from the stabbing 2 weeks later. I had been calling my friends once a week and spending a lot of time laughing and joking with Emma. Thanks to that combination I was finally getting over Steph. I figured maybe 2 more weeks before I could think of her without and discomfort. Emma was fast becoming my best friend, but the college had gotten wind of her moving in with me and had fired her. I remember that night firmly.

I was watching the morning news with Emma and had just heard the end of what was coming up today when… "Now, our first story today, scandal at Birkenhead sixth form college. Trisha?" There was a woman standing outside my house. I looked out the window and saw them at the end of the drive.

"Thank you. I am standing here outside the house of Mr David Allen. David is now a very famous young man, and has gone through some difficulties. He was recently cheated on rather badly by a girl he was deeply in love with, driving him to become recluse until the new year, at which point he was alienated from his family. According to sources his grandmother wouldn't stop nagging him about his behavior over the loss of his girlfriend, and after he finally lost his temper the family cut all ties with the young man when he told his grandmother to get out of his house. This once again drove the young hero into solitary. He was brought homework by his form tutor and Psychology teacher Emma booth, and it has recently been learned that not only are the 2 good friends, but Ms Booth has recently moved in with the young hero. The reasons for this are unclear, but we must ask, is there a scandal occurring behind those curtains?" I watched wide eyed and emma was sitting in shock. She finally shook herself and ran outside, jumping in her car, and presumably driving to work.

She came home not an hour later crying and sobbing. I hugged her and locked the door as she grabbed fistfuls of my shirt. I sat with her next to me.

"Emma? Emma, c'mon. Calm down." She kept crying. "You were fired, weren't you?" she nodded. "Then you'll just have to stay here. It's my fault anyway, and I can support us on my monthly allowance. I suppose it's just time to go back to college." I told her, rubbing her back. She started hiccupping and we just held each other in a reversal of roles.

I called the school to try and explain, but they were having none of it and instead threatened to kick me out of college. I ignored them and kept pushing, but they didn't kick me out. I knew they wouldn't. they were loving the publicity I had brought to them. Granted, it would be weird facing the students, but who cares?

So it was I started college again. As expected, people were giving me weird looks wherever I went, but I ignored it. Some guys looked impressed, others looked disgusted, and some girl looked disappointed (Even one or two guys, if I'm honest). I decided, if my life was going to get back on track I had to face certain things sooner or later. I got into my Z4 and drove to Steph's house.

I walked up the drive and knocked on the door and Helen answered. She looked relieved when she saw me and showed me straight into the kitchen were Steph was curled up on the couch staring blankly ahead. She was emaciated, obviously not having been eating. I shook my head and grabbed a chair, sitting in front of her. "Hello, Steph." I greeted, relatively cordially.

"I'm sorry… so sorry…" she started muttering. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"I know. I know." I went and hugged her lightly. She latched onto me. I held her as she cried. "Steph. Steph! Now, I am not here to get back with you. i… I cant do that. Not after… that. But… I want us to be friends. I don't want this hanging over me, and you are slowly killing yourself. You need to eat." I told her. She cried, but nodded, obviously relieved. "Now, I have to go, but… i… I'll see you around. Now get eating again. You have to get your health back." I ordered. She nodded and I slowly detached myself and left. Before I got into the car Helen stopped me and looked at me.

"Thank you." She told me, choked up. I nodded. "Really, thank you. It must have taken a lot from you to come here."

"It would have taken a lot more to get over the guilt if she starved herself to death." I stated simply and hopped in quickly, driving home. I got a call from James that night thanking me for coming and talking to her, telling me she was eating again thanks to me and I made dinner for Emma and Me. She had been lounging around the house in some short shorts and a tank top, basically her pyjamas. For a 26 year old she was Hot. I shook my head. Why did I think that? She looked all sad and sullen as I sat and handed her some chicken with a honey and mustard glaze with boiled vegetables and Mash. I had been experimenting with cooking, specifically using the Jamie Oliver Ministry of food book. It was really good and easy.

She ate it and went into the front room, watching TV. I finished mine more slowly and went through to the front room. She was watching a film called How to lose a guy in 10 days. I sat next to her as it started. "I like Mathew McConaghey." I told her. She nodded. "Em? You alright?" she nodded again. I sighed and pulled her close to me with an arm around her waist and sat back in the chair. "It'll be alright. You'll see." She nodded again and nestled herself deeper into me, pulling a blanket over us.

Another month had passed. Emma was back to her normal self, and I was almost completely recovered after the whole Steph episode, preffering to leave the past in the past now. It was the end of February, and I had my Theatre practical in 2 weeks time and my art practical had already started. My Art project was something I had gotten to choose myself, which was the human form/Portraits. There were a number of pictures of muscly guys with no shirts, myself included. Thanks to my physio I was getting larger muscles every day, and even when I was fully recovered I started going the gym to build muscle. I was really defined now and had started running again now I had full use of my legs.

Apart from shirtless men I also had some pictures of woman with arms covering certain areas. I had used a number of materials for my project, from wood carving, statues, paint, pastel and graphite, to mosaic and the like. I don't know how, but I had even convinced Emma to pose for me, but I made sure not to get her face, which was her only criteria. We were getting closer, and she was looking for a job but couldn't seem to get hired anywhere for one reason or another. Her career had basically been ruined.

While she still looked, she was settling into an unemployed woman with me supporting her, and was pretty much like a housewife, apart from the fact we weren't together. For my final exam I was going to be doing a portrait of myself holding Emma close and looking out at the sunset. We were wearing rather skimpy bathing suits, and emma's face was turned away from the camera but it was still a very sexy image. It was quite close up, just managing to show out entire bodies, and I had inflated it to A1 size for the exam. I would be doing the piece in graphite and chalk. I had told her all about this as she seemed comfortable enough with it.

I was coming home from college more and more tired each day for some reason and usually crashing on the couch while watching TV with Emma. I got a check up and it wasn't anything medical, so I assumed it was just from too much work. My new psychology teacher was more strict and everybody hated her, and I had become the most popular guy in college. I had 5 unconditional offers from universities I had applied to and 3 from ones I hadn't, so I was set for a design course in the future. As February went into march I breezed through my practical's and my coursework was all handed in, leaving just 1 more art exam and 3 written exams. 1 for drama and 2 for Psychology.

I got home after the final day of my art Exam and pulled out my camera. "Emma?" I called.

"Coming!" She came down the stairs, smiling sweetly at me. "You called?"

"Just thought you'd like to see my final piece for art." I told her as I hooked the camera up to the computer and pulled the image onto the screen. I was black and white and seemed to capture every curve of the form perfectly. For some reason I didn't really understand I had drawn a kind of halo of light around the 2 and had altered the images so we were facing each other as if about to kiss, making it more romantic. It was a perfect representation.

"Why?" she asked me simply, monotonously.

"Erm… I don't actually know… I just really wanted to, and it didn't seem right to do it the other way." I told her nervously. She had been having that effect on me lately. "You cant really tell who exactly the girl is." I told her defensively. "All you can tell is she's beautiful!" she looked at me and her features softened as she smiled slightly.

"Thank you." She told me, kissing my cheek. I blushed and stammered as she turned and headed upstairs. I watched her tight little arse disappear around the banister and shook myself. I shouldn't be thinking of her like that! It's Emma! She probably thinks i'm too young anyway! I started on dinner. It was 4:30 now, so if I made Cottage pie it would be ready around 6. I started boiling the potatoes, watching Bones as I waited. she's hot, but not as hot as emma. I shook my head again to clear these thought. I do not like emma!

"Dave? Can you come move this TV for me?" Emma called from upstairs. I stood and went up to what was now officially her room, as she had sold her house. I lifted the TV and she moved a couple of things around as I held it before telling me to put it down in a different place. She kissed my cheek and brushed my arm as I went back downstairs. I wonder what it would be like to kiss her… Why was I thinking this?! I was annoying myself now. I went in and checked the potatoes. No where near done. I went back to watching bones. The water started boiling over causing the lid of the pan to rattle, so I lowered the heat and checked the potatoes. Maybe 4 more minutes. I started on the mince.

Emma came down in her pyjamas, this time Blue shirt with yellow shorts, and sat and watched me cook, curling her long legs under herself.

"Whats for dinner?" she asked.

"Cottage pie." I told her, shooting a grin her way, trying not to stare. The pyjamas really left little to the imagination. It must be cold upstairs… I gave myself a mental punch as I felt myself reacting. Dead puppies, dead puppies, steph. That did it. I went back to my cooking happily. It was a fun pass time. I poured the water from the potatoes and started mashing them, adding a fair bit of butter and a splash of milk. I tried some and they were just right. I held a spoon up for emma and she dipped her head and took tome in her mouth, looking up at me with wide eyes as she did so. There was a twinkle in them and I again thought of steph as she closed them and savoured the mash. She nodded.

"Wonderful as always, hun." I nodded and finished cooking the mince before pouring it into an oven dish. There would probably be enough for today and tomorrow. I was quite happy it was a weekend as well. I put the mash over the top and used my fork to make little lines in the surface before putting it into the pre-heated oven and setting the timer for 45 minutes. I leant against the counter top.

"Drink?" she nodded and I went and got her a glass of red wine, getting one for myself as well. It was a simple blossom hill, but we both preferred it to more expensive ones. Either that, paul masson, or Gallo and we were happy. I handed her hers and sipped mine as I sat next to her, sitting back and watching the TV, which she had changed to Extreme makeover: Home edition. We both enjoyed the show, but it usually made Emma cry. "So who is it this week?" I asked her.

"The Jameson family. A car crashed through their dining room wall and killed their son." She told me, sniffling. I wrapped my arm round her shoulders and grinned. It was so emma. Not that that made sense, but still… We drank our glasses and got a refill each before the timer went off. I took the dish out the oven to cool as the show finished. When it did I dished out a fair bit onto 2 plates and made some gravy, pouring some over mine and leaving it up to emma if she wanted any. She apparently did. I watched amused as she practically drowned it and she blushed. "I like cottage pie and gravy." She stated defensively. I shrugged and started eating. We talked about the show and I told her about how college had gone that day, and started laughing half way through the meal. "What?" she asked confused, around a mouthful of cottage pie.

"We sound like a married couple." I told her. She looked at me as if to say so.

"Is that so bad?" she asked stoically.

"No, of course not!" I said, getting defensive.

"Then what is the problem?"

"No problem! It was just… never mind." I told her. Silence descended and we finished our dinner. I washed the dishes in the sink and we went through to the front room and put on P.S. I love you. I sat in my usual seat, expecting emma to come and snuggle into me as usual, and was a bit hurt when she sat as far from me as she could. "what have I done?" I asked her sadly. She glared at me and I shook my head, got up and headed to bed. I lay in bed and just went to sleep after tossing and turning, tangling myself in the covers.

I had dreams of asking Emma out, but when I woke up, all thought of them shot out of my head as Emma was standing at the end of my bed in her Pajamas, her eyes wide as she stared at me. "Hey." I said softly. She sighed and moved a bit closer, sitting next to where I was sleeping. She jumped as a boom of thunder sounded.

"I… I'm scared of storms." She told me. I looked at her for a moment as she fidgeted and shifted back further onto the bed, lifting the corner of the covers for her. She jumped in and pushed herself into me, resting her head on my chest. "Thanks, hun." She told me.

"Always, hun." I replied simply dosing off again to more dreams of me and Emma.

I woke up the next morning with the sound of thunder still booming through the house. Emma was wiggling next to me, and I heard her moaning something. Suddenly she shuddered and her eyes shot open. It was only then I noticed where my hands were. One of them was innocently splayed across her stomach as I spooned her, and the other was curled under her and holding her left breast. I tried to remove it without her noticing, but she grabbed it and held it there. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. "Oh no, I have waited too long for you to start noticing me." She muttered. My eyes shot open and she stared at me open mouthed. "You… you were… awake?!" I nodded, still speechless from what I just heard. "And you… heard…?" I nodded again. She started trying to move away, but I suddenly snapped out of it and pulled her closer.

"So I'm not too young for you?" I asked her. She stared incredulously as she turned in my arms.

"What made you think that?" she asked me. I shrugged. "I'm not that old, hun." She giggled.

"Trust me, I know." I told her, looking down at her pajama clad form. "So that's why you were so annoyed last night?" she blushed and nodded. "I really didn't have a problem with it. Its just… I was trying to not like you because I thought you would never like me. I mean, when you moved in I was suicidal! I lost you your job." I stated. She grabbed my cheek.

"Yeah, but life is much better now, if a bit more boring, at times." She told me. I grinned and nodded. "Anyway, I stink, so I'm going to take a shower." She said, getting out of my arms and adding an extra wiggle to her beautiful little bum as she walked out of the room. I groaned at the sight.

"Evil Minx!" I called after her and she laughed. I rolled out of bed and headed to the en-suit, washing up and getting changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. It was time for my run. "I'm going for my run. Back in a bit Em!" I called, checking I had my keys, wallet and phone. I locked the door behind me and started off on the same route Dave and andy had taken me in the summer, a full 9 miles. It took me just under an hour and when I got back I was slightly sore and very sweaty. I did some stretches to cool down and had another shower before preparing breakfast. I got the eggs and started whisking them as I put the sausages on the grill and prepared the bacon and black pudding. I then put the black pudding and bacon on together to cook. About 5 minutes before they'd be done I started with the scrambled eggs.

Just as I finished Emma came downstairs, carrying sheets. She went into the utility room to presumably throw them in the washing basket before coming out and hugging me from behind. "Morning, hun." She greeted, nuzzling my neck with a sigh. "That is so nice to say." She mumbled. I grinned and scraped half the eggs onto each plate, turning in her arms and kissing her forehead.

"Morning." I turned the grill off and divided up the sausages and bacon. She didn't like black pudding, having made the mistake of asking what it was as a child. What she didn't know was that I had put a little bit in the eggs. Just enough that you could taste it. We sat at the table and ate, and she seemed really happy with it as she scoffed the eggs.

"That was delicious! Did you do something different with the eggs?" I grinned and nodded. "Do tell!"

"Oh, it was only a little thing. I just put a little bit of black pudding in them." She stared at me wide eyed.

"No!" I grinned and nodded and she stared at me in disbelief. "Theres no way! That was way too nice to have pigs blood!" I snorted.

"Sorry hun, but that was black pudding. I find it better if you don't think whats in it." I told her, taking her empty plate and putting them in the dishwasher.

"You are annoying sometimes, you know that?" she asked me, trying not to grin. I winked at her as I made my way through to the front room. She laughed and followed, plopping into my lap and wiggling about for a moment before finally settling. "This is quite comfy." She said. I snorted and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Anyway, so I take it you like me too?" she asked, almost hesitating. I smiled and kissed her forehead, nodding ever so slightly. "So are we going out?"

"Only if you want to." I muttered. She nodded.

"Of course." She smiled and arched her neck to kiss my cheek. "So you need to take me on a date, today." She told me. I stared at her in surprised confusion. "Well, we cant start kissing until at least the 3rd date. And I personally want to kiss you." She told me. I jumped up and grabbed the Ford keys with her still in my arms. She was laughing as I put her down by the door. "Where exactly do you plan on taking me, Mr?"

"Well, I figured for the first date we could go bowling, for the second date we could go for a walk, and for the third we can go to dinner." She giggled.

"Planning on having all three today, are we?" I grinned cheekily at her.

"Well, if you don't want to I suppose we can hold off for a couple of weeks." I started, turning. She was suddenly frantic as she grabbed me.

"No, no. 3 today works for me!" I laughed and led her to the car. She got in and we shot off to the Bowling alley. It was 9 when we got there, so it had only just opened. We stepped in and went to the desk. "Can I have 2 games for 2 people please." I asked. The guy nodded and asked for £14. I gave him 20 and waited for my change and he asked for our shoes and shoe size. I asked for my typical 9, and Emma asked for a 4. He handed them over and we put them on before heading to lane #1. I typed our names into the console, marking Emma as 'the evil Minx' and myself as 'the young stallion'. She looked up and snorted.

"Not at all full of yourself, are you hun." I grinned and winked.

"Ah, my wonderful minx, something about you just makes me feel like I can take on the world." I told her. She seemed to melt a bit at that comment.

"Damn perfect hero boy." She muttered, grabbing a couple of balls and bringing them into the lane. I grabbed some 17's and set them down, and we started. Emma went first and got 2 down followed by another 5. I got a strike. She went again and got 2 gutter balls, and I got a spare. She got 1, I got 9, she got 3, I got a strike. She started pouting as my score was adding up to over a hundred and hers was barely 30. We went into the second game, and this time as she started I came up behind her and held her bowling hand in mine, pressed into her back, breathing lightly on her neck.

"Relax hun. Just swing it back, swing it forwards, and release. I'll aim." She nodded and shivered slightly. I had my other hand splayed on her stomach and felt her swinging back and forwards. I altered the path slightly and when she let go she got 9. She squealed and turned, seemingly about to kiss me, but instead hugged me.

"Damn 3rd date rule." She moaned, and I chuckled, leaving her to it the 2nd time. This time I downplayed my own, so I only just scored over 100, and Emma did much better, scoring almost 90. After bowling we went out to the car and I stopped at Tesco to buy some sandwich foods before continuing to the park.

"Date number 2." I told her as I parked up and grabbed the Tesco bag. We walked round the park, laughing and joking, hand in hand, and stopped on the ridge for lunch. I lay my coat out for us to sit on, and we had some simple chicken sandwiches. We went to the exit of the park, and I decided to make it a 4 date day. "How about catching a movie?" I asked her. She looked at me surprised, but smiled and nodded. We got in and went to Bromborough and to the Odeon. I let her choose the film and was pleasantly surprised she Chose Defiance. I had been wanting to see it for a short while now.

We went to the stand and I paid for the tickets along with a large bucket of butter popcorn, some chilli nachos, a coke, and a diet coke (I don't know how, but Emma prefers it) and headed to the screen. We had to wait 10 minutes through the usual credits, but seemed to be two of only 8 people in the theatre, and definitely the only ones in the middle. The others seemed to be here more for the back row.

We watched the movie avidly and I was thoroughly impressed. I love war epics. Emma seemed to enjoy it as well, and at times squeezed my hand tightly when a tense situation started. We left talking excitedly about it, but it was only half 3. We headed home and I made reservations for the restaurant my sister used to work at called Scogs. It was in west Kirby, quite near the promenade and was relatively fancy. I made the reservation for 7, and told Emma to dress nicely. We talked about the day so far, but didn't want to kiss just yet. We wanted the first one to be romantic and natural. At 6 Emma went to get ready, and at quarter past I went and put on some black dress pants, a long sleeved black dress shirt with vertical white stripes, and a dress jacket with a silver and black tie. My hair was neat, my stubble was stylish rather than out of place, and over all I looked very smart.

I waited at the bottom of the stairs until about quarter to when Emma came into sight wearing a beautiful white dress. It showed off her perfect hourglass figure, clinging to her curves, and came to about mid thigh. She had her hair up in a bun with a few curled strands framing her face, with some black stiletto heels and white gloves. We were probably a bit overdressed but I didn't care. "You look stunning." I told her from the heart. She blushed and sighed dreamily.

"So do you, Hero." She told me, taking my arm as I led her out to the BMW. Class over style tonight. The ford was fun, but it was more an upstart car. The Z4 was more elegant and composed. I kept the hood up, not wanting to mess up her hair, and drove the 10 minutes to the restaurant. When we stepped in there was a brief lull In conversation from the 3 couples already in there and the staff before one came over to seat us.

"Dave! Its great to see you again. You're doing well, I presume?" the owners daughter, Amy, was asking me. I smiled politely and nodded.

"Yes, thank you. Amy, I'd like to introduce my girlfriend, miss Emma Booth." Amy looked Emma over and nodded.

"Pleasure to me you." She said stiffly. Emma stiffened next to me and I patted her arm, leaning over.

"I'm with you hun. Relax." She did slightly and blushed as she smiled at me. I was seated at the table nearest to the bar. There was a candle in the centre with a single red rose to the side.

"This is the main course menu… this is the special menu… this is the wine list. Can I get you anything to drink? Some bread and olives?" she asked me. I smiled politely as Emma bristled and shot my date a bemused look.

"Well, I need to check the wine list. But I would like some bread. How about you, hun?" I asked Emma. She nodded. "Some bread please, amy. Thanks." She nodded and left, calling it through to the kitchen. Emma sighed and gave a sheepish grin as she relaxed again.

"_That's _Kirsty's little brother?! Isn't he that hero of bangor? Which means that must be that teacher…" The girls were saying behind the bar. "He's hot! I see he can walk again." Other such comments followed but I ignored them. Emma was as amused as me by them, if not slightly more so, getting more comfortable in the knowledge she was my date, and she started looking at the wine list. Amy returned and placed the bread down on the table.

"Anything to drink, or do you still need some time?" she asked, smiling at me.

"Can we have a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon?" Emma asked. Amy made a note and nodded.

"And can I have a coke as well, please. Thanks." I asked. Emma gave me a confused look and I gestured to the car.

"So you aren't going to share the wine?"

"I'll have a glass, and buy a bottle for when we get home. Tonight, I want to have a romantic evening with my girlfriend." I told her. We looked over the menu's and selected some Palma ham and melon for starters along with some muscles, and for mains Emma had Spaghetti Scognamiglio's while I had lamb fillets with a side of chips and broccoli. The wine was delicious and both Emma and I savored it, and I was quite sad when I finished my first glass. I looked out to the car and changed my mind. "You know what hun, I think we can get a taxi home and I'll pick the car up on my run tomorrow." She beamed at me and grabbed my hand, shaking it lightly.

"Thanks, love." I grinned and took a couple of gulps of my coke. We ordered our food and poured another glass each into the large glasses, ordering another bottle and drinking. I enjoyed my starter of muscles as did Emma with her ham and Melon, and we argued over which was better while waiting for the main course. It only took another 15 minutes before it was placed in front of us and we thanked the waitress serving us, who had changed from Amy for whatever reason, not that we minded. As we ate I started thinking of the last time I was here.

"You know, I haven't been to this place in just over a year." Emma looked at me curiously. "It was where we had the families Christmas meal before my parents passed away." She took my hand and I beamed at her. "I am glad its you I'm here with now." I told her. She beamed back at me as we continued eating and drinking and laughing.

After finishing our main we sat for half an hour talking and drinking and were both getting a little tipsy. Red wine seemed to hit me harder than any other alcohol. We ordered desert then. I had the sticky toffee pudding and Emma had strawberry sorbet. We had fun feeding each other as I had scooted my chair around the table, and we laughed as we did so, other people watching and 'awww'ing at the young couple so blatantly in love. The girls behind the counter seemed a bit glum, but I didn't really care.

We ordered another bottle of red, and a bottle of cliquoet Ponsardin champagne for when we got home, asking them to order a taxi and bring us the bill. A pretty brunette did so with the expected smile, and the meal came to £120, which I paid in cash with a 50% bonus, as I was in a very good mood after a wonderful meal. Emma shivered as we waited to the taxi, so I removed my jacket and placed it over her shoulders, wrapping an arm around her, completely unaware to the stares still being shot at us from the people in the restaurant, and when the taxi arrived I held the door for her and got in the other side.

We talked with the taxi driver on the way home and I gave him £20 for the 12 pound fare, telling him to keep the change, before getting out, unlocking the house and stepping in, locking the door behind me. I went into the back room and turned the stereo on which started playing 'when you say nothing at all' from 100 greatest love songs CD. I put the bottle of wine and champagne on the side and held out a hand for Emma. "Dance?" I asked her simply. She smiled gently and took my hand, as I started leading hear round the smallish space in the kitchen. We just held each other and rocked from side to side and round in circles, but it couldn't have been a better end to the evening. As the song finished we leaned together and our lips gently met.

I closed my eyes as I felt her velvet soft lips on my own. She was on her tiptoes and I was bent slightly at the neck to meet each other, but it was comfortable, as if we were made to fit. I felt a sort of tingling sensation from where our lips connected, which when we deepened the kiss seemed to increase into an explosion. We pulled away after a few moments and I brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear with a smile.

"Tonight has been perfect." I stated. She nodded, not looking away from my eyes. We just kept dancing until we got tired at which point we headed to bed, undressed and climbed under the covers of my bed, spooning each other. She held my hand to her slim stomach and smiled with her eyes closed.

"I love you." She whispered. I leant down and kissed the side of her neck. I hesitated before smiling.

"I love you to." I told her. I lowered my head to the pillow and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.


End file.
